Over 10 acres of the eco-sensitive zone on the periphery of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) will be used to construct the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies’ (IICT) second campus – its primary campus is at Pedder Road. The expert advisory committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) cleared the proposal earlier this month.
The proposed site is located 900 meters away from the periphery of SGNP – from where many animals and birds migrate to the eco-sensitive zone.
IICT was launched in Mumbai during the WAVES (World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit) in 2025. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The institute, which is located in the NFDC building at Pedder Road, was envisioned as a national hub for animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC).
Several tech giants, including NVIDIA, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Star India, and Adobe, have partnered with IICT to collaborate on course development and training initiatives, to make it a national centre of excellence modelled along the lines of premier institutions such as IITs and IIMs.
In a recent meeting, members of EAC were told by the state government that the proposal was first considered by the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) in its 89th meeting held on February 28, 2026. It was deferred as the approval of the zonal master plan (ZMP) for the eco-sensitive zone was pending. As the project was a Central government push, the EAC asked the state government to prepare and approve the ZMP.
According to the minutes of the EAC meeting, a copy of which is with HT, the chief wildlife warden assured that the IICT project was in consonance with the ZMP approved for the eco-sensitive zone of SGNP.
As part of the conditions, IICT has been asked to deposit 2% of the project cost attributable to the eco-sensitive zone of SGNP towards wildlife conservation and protection with the SGNP conservator. The EAC has mandated that the institute construct a 3-metre-high compound wall, along with a 1-metre chain-link or barbed-wire fence and safety reinforcements along the project boundary to minimize human–wildlife conflict.
Another important condition is prohibition on high-intensity lights or light beams directed towards SGNP in a manner that may disturb or alter the movement or behaviour of wildlife.
Criticising the move, environmentalist D Stalin, of NGO Vanshakti, said: “The ESZ monitoring committee is a joke – it does not do anything to protect forests or environment. It only creates openings to help violators. There is no logical explanation about why an institution should come up here after chopping trees.”
In January this year, the State Board for Wildlife cleared a road project from Magathane to Kandivali, which requires diversion through 2.59 hectares in SGNP and 0.59 hectares from its eco-sensitive zone.
Last month, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation tabled a proposal to the forest department to allow the civic body to widen the Gaimukh Fountain Hotel Road and the Metro 10 line to pass through it. If the proposal goes through, it will require diversion of over 10 hectares of SGNP’s forest land.
