Jairam says no to diversion of forest land for road

The National Board of Wild Life (NBWL) on Wednesday rejected the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) proposal to take 84 hectares of forest land out of Forest Conservation Act (FCA) provisions to facilitate unhindered construction of National Highway 6 between Nagpur and Raipur.

The NBWL rejection is seen as a setback for the NHAI,which has already four-laned the road,that often trespasses into the 10-km radius of Protected Areas,thereby violating the Wildlife and Forest Conservation Acts. At places,the road comes uptil 800 metres of the Navegaon National Park in Bhandara district,according to the Forest Department. Hundreds of trees have been cut in the process.

On the left of the contentious patch along the Nagpur-Raipur road is the Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and on the right is the Navegaon National Park.

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A National Tiger Conservation Authority panel had earlier visited the site and it was on the basis of its recommendation that the IBWL has rejected the NHAI proposal,Union Minister of State for Environment Jairam Ramesh told The Indian Express.

Ramesh chaired the NBWL standing committee meet at New Delhi which took the decision on Wednesday.

The proposal was to make a special allowance for the NHAI under FCA in the five forest patches,together worth 85 hectares,spread intermittently over 20 km along the existing NH6.