The Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) on Tuesday gave its nod to a proposal for wildlife clearance for an iron ore opencast mining project near Lohardongri in Brahmapuri taluka of Chandrapur district. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The proposal will now be sent to NBWL.
The approval from SBWL comes even as three-member committee constituted by the board examined the proposal and submitted its report, recommending wildlife clearance for the project, subject to the condition that entire forest area of 34,673.67 hectares forming the wildlife corridor, Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary and Ekara Conservation Reserve, is notified as a wildlife sanctuary.
According to the report, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, “Any mining in this forest will cause irreversible damage to the environment and wildlife, loss of a large tree cover, immense pollution to the air and water.”
As per the report, the proposed mining site falls in Reserved Forest Compartment No. 439 (old compartment no. 95) in Bramhapuri. The 35.94-hectare stretch forms a vital corridor linking Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve with the Bramhapuri-Gadchiroli landscape. The area supports an estimated five tigers, eight to 10 leopards, sloth bears and other wildlife species.
Talking to The Indian Express, Kishor Rithe, member of State Board for Wildlife and Director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), said, “The project will happen only if the NBWL gives clearance.” At the said meeting, Rithe stated that the project area is ecologically sensitive and prone to human-wildlife conflict, as it lies within the critical wildlife corridor and suggested that the feasibility of underground mining may be explored.
Speaking about the long-term effects of the project, Rithe said, “Ghodazari is a wildlife sanctuary. Tigers do not know sanctuary boundaries; they move outside too. Ghodazari became a tiger area because tigers dispersed from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. There is a 160 sqkm area near Umred that was declared as Ghodazari WLS because of good tiger and prey populations. Naturally, when tigers disperse from Tadoba, they continue to disperse towards Ghodazari and live here.”
“Already, tigers need more space near Ghodazari as space is a constraint. In this situation, if tiger corridor land is given for opencast mining, tigers will loose a large surface area. It is not like an underground mine where the on-ground impact is confined to limited surface area. Obviously, tigers will leave the mining area and occupy adjoining areas. Compared to underground mining, opencast mining creates negative impact on a large area through the primary and ancillary activities together. Tigers and their prey will thereby mount pressure on surrounding villages and with this, conflict may increase significantly. Hence, we should be ready to face the consequences.”
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“Tigers have already shown their presence near Butibori and Kalameshwar, around 10-20 km from Nagpur. The impacts of such mining proposals will be seen in such urban areas too in the coming years,” he added.
The proposed mine falls within dense forest that serves as a crucial wildlife corridor connecting Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve with Umred-Paoni-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary. The report by the three-member committee warned the project would require the felling of 18,024 trees, disturb critical wildlife habitat inhabited by tigers, leopards and sloth bears, and cause ‘irreversible’ ecological damage while escalating human–wildlife conflict.
Committee findings and reassessment
The committee was first constituted during the SBWL’s 22nd meeting on October 16, 2023, to assess mitigation measures. After conducting a site inspection, it submitted its findings. However, when the report was placed before the standing committee on January 24, 2024, it was directed to undertake a fresh, detailed scientific study and submit a revised assessment.
Following this directive, the committee carried out another extensive evaluation of the 35.94-hectare forest tract in Lohardongri and submitted a revised report on August 12, 2024. The committee comprised SBWL members Pravin Singh Pardeshi and conservationist Poonam Dhanwatey, along with the Chief Conservator of Forests, Chandrapur Dr. Jitendra Ramgaokar. Officials from DyCF Brahmapuri and ACF (Tendu) Brahmapuri also accompanied them during site visits on October 28and November 18, 2023. A representative from Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd, the project proponent, was present during inspections.
‘Irreversible damage’ warned
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The committee observed that the project seeks a biodiversity-rich forest patch with 18,024 trees, extensive wildlife presence and critical ecological value. It concluded that the mining operation and associated infrastructure such as roads and ore transportation would have large-scale negative impacts.
Located near Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary, the site forms part of a critical tiger movement corridor. The report noted that over 60 tigers inhabit the broader landscape, which is already stressed due to irrigation projects, roads and other linear infrastructure. Habitat fragmentation has forced tigers into closer proximity with human settlements, resulting in some of the highest conflict incidents and compensation payouts in recent years.
The report stated, “Any mining in this forest will cause irreversible damage to the environment and wildlife, loss of a large tree cover, immense pollution to the air and water.”
Limited benefits vs ecological cost
The proposed Lohardongri open cast mine will require digging to 54 mts, is said to have an annual output of only 1.1 million tonnes through the entire 12 year period. The proposed mine offers employment opportunities for just 120 individuals locally, only 32 permanent staff, and ore available is barely 1.1 lakh tonnes annually. There is no study of the zone of influence around the 35.73 hectares of the mine.
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Additional forest area will need to be cleared for 600 meters length of the 6 meter wide road required for the transportation of the ore.
The report highlighted the damage to the habitat, tree cover, wildlife & water sources; the health risks to locals by pollutants; the threat of increased conflict to local people, the efforts to mitigate conflict and the amount of conflict compensation paid by the State for exceeds the proposed benefits of the mine. The report clearly stated, “Therefore, the project is not recommended.”
It also said that if the National Board of Wildlife is considering the proposal, the project should only be reviewed on the grounds of sustainability, cost- benefit ratio and maintaining integrity of wildlife corridors.
Other proposals
The other proposal cleared at the meeting was wildlife clearance for construction of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) Campus at Mumbai within the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The project is proposed on 4.0469 hectares of non-forest land and is located near the outer boundary of eco-sensitive zone.
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During the meeting, another agenda was to notify Kolamarka Conservation Reserve as a Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to the wild water buffalo. But the chairman directed that the possibility of the conservation reserve falling within a mining corridor be examined and that a comprehensive and holistic study be carried out. It was further directed that the proposal be placed before the board in its next meeting, after the receipt and examination of the study.
