Wildlife board panel clears infra, mining project in MP’s tiger habitats; ropeway in Rajaji reserve

In two other tiger reserves – Sanjay Dubri and Ratapani – it has cleared an underground water pipeline and construction of the components of Barna dam. Meanwhile, use of 4.54 hectares of land from the core area of Rajaji Tiger Reserve has been approved for building a ropeway at Rishikesh from Triveni Ghat to Neelkanth Mahadev temple.

The panel also recommended clearance for two bauxite mining projects located in the eco-sensitive zone of Phen wildlife sanctuary in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district. The National Tiger Conservation Authority said that though the mining leases did not fall in the core or buffer areas of protected areas, ecological safeguards were necessary due to their proximity to Phen wildlife sanctuary, Kanha Tiger Reserve and the Kanha-Achanakmar corridor.

In October, the limestone mine lease of AAA resource limited, spread over 266.3 hectares of revenue land, was inspected by a committee of the Union environment ministry, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Wildlife Institute of India, and MP forest department. It was noted that parts of the mining lease fell in a delineated tiger corridor, and its southern part had a contiguous forest area with a viable route for tiger dispersal while the northern part was fragmented.

While recommending the project, the committee, which visited the site, said that tiger movement through the southern corridor must be ensured and strengthened by restricting mining activities and habitat improvement.

During deliberations on the ropeway project, the Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttarakhand, justified the proposal on the grounds that it will reduce traffic congestion during Kanwar season and reduce vehicular traffic on the road route used by the pilgrims, which passes through a forested area. Expert non-official member Raman Sukumar said that from an ecological point of view, the proposal should be considered.

The project was approved with the condition that the Uttarakhand government should commission a study through Wildlife Institute of India to analyse animal movement in the area and recommend measures to mitigate impact of construction.