The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife has cleared a proposal to divert 310 hectares of forest land from the core area of Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh for the construction of the Arunachal Frontier Highway (NH-913).
The decision comes even as some members flagged serious concerns over inadequate wildlife mitigation measures and the planned felling of over 1.5 lakh trees.
The project in the Changlang district, connects NH-215 near Kharsang to the Miao-Gandhigram-Vijaynagar road, a stretch of the strategic NH-913 corridor close to the India-Myanmar border, according to government records.
The Public Works Department (PWD), Arunachal Pradesh, had sought 248.79 hectares (ha) of forest land for intermediate laning and 61.21 ha for muck disposal.
On June 26, member secretary of the committee said a meeting regarding the project proposal had been held with committee members H S Singh and R Sukumar, along with the state's chief wildlife warden (CWW).
It was observed that "the mitigation measures proposed, including underpasses, are quite rudimentary when compared to earlier proposals".
The member secretary added that the animal passage plan lacked adequate site specific research and several proposed structures follow "standard PWD culvert or causeway designs rather than designs tailored for effective wildlife movement." "There was consensus that a comprehensive, research-based animal passage plan is necessary, one that clearly specifies the appropriate design, location, height and length of underpasses and overpasses based on actual animal movement patterns," he said.
Sukumar, while raising two key concerns, acknowledged the strategic importance of the road, which had already been approved two years ago as an all-weather corridor.
"First, the plan would result in the felling of approximately 1,55,000 trees and the justification for such extensive widening is unclear; second, the animal passage plan must be aligned with actual ground realities regarding wildlife presence and crossing points and the current plan is weak in this respect," he said.
However, Singh suggested that "the animal passage plan may be re-examined and thereafter the proposal may be approved." Responding to the objections, the CWW of Arunachal Pradesh said the widening was "not extensive" and involves an upgrade from "3.5 m width to intermediate laning".
He said the state government will ensure that the animal passage plan that may be prepared shall be implemented by the user agency. Clarifying further that the figure of 1.55 lakh trees includes poles and undergrowth as well, he added that "in tropical forest area the undergrowth is very high".
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will prepare an animal passage plan for this project within three months, the director of the institute assured the committee.
After detailed discussions, the committee decided to approve the proposal.
It said the WII will undertake a comprehensive and site-specific study of the project area. Based on this study, it will propose scientifically robust and practical mitigation measures aimed at minimising adverse impacts on wildlife and their habitats.
The committee also approved the use of over 133 ha of land, including forest and non-forest area from two Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) and a tiger corridor in Andhra Pradesh, for the construction of a four-lane national highway between Kadapa and Renigunta.
The project area includes 44.43 ha of forest land and 10.93 ha of non-forest land from the ESZ of Sri Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuary, 33.22 ha of forest land and 26.70 ha of non-forest land from the ESZ of Sri Penusila Lakshmi Narasimha Wildlife Sanctuary. It also includes area of 18.28 ha of forest land from the tiger corridor connecting Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve and Sri Venkateswara National Park.
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