Govt seeks WII help for green study on proposed Puri airport
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Bhubaneswar: State govt wrote to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) on Monday to seek its expertise on alleged forest and wildlife violations related to the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport in Puri.
The regional office of the ministry of environment, forests and climate change had pointed out some violations in the project, leading the ministry's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) to put its clearance on hold. The committee advised the state govt to collaborate with WII for a study.
"WII received Odisha's letter regarding the requirement of our recommendation in terms of the impact on wildlife in the case of the proposed airport project.
No timeline has been fixed so far to form a team for the study and make necessary observations," Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj, director of WII, told TOI.
The govt's letter to WII and the latter's response come days after the transport department expressed confidence in taking the project further with the recommendation of environmental clearance (EC) coming from the expert appraisal committee (EAC) under the ministry. EAC and FAC are two separate committees, and their mandates are different, officials said.
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"Although EAC's recommendation for EC could help the govt make certain moves, there are still conditions. In addition, WII's opinion will be a factor in getting FAC's final nod," a govt source said.
The airport is proposed to be developed over 471 hectares at an estimated cost of Rs 5,631 crore. Forest land to be diverted, if clearance is received, is spread over 27.88 hectares.
Officials said WII's study will focus on migratory bird routes and the possible impact on Olive Ridley sea turtles and Irrawaddy dolphins close to the airport site in Brahmagiri.
"FAC has also asked for a conservation and mitigation plan, requiring approval from the chief wildlife warden. It also highlighted environmental concerns about the proposed cutting of 13,000 trees currently serving as a bio-shield and coastal shelter," a govt officer said.
Based on concerns of the regional office, FAC, as per minutes of its meeting on June 24, decided to seek an explanation from the state govt on building the airport in a fragile coastal belt. "The govt, with WII's help, has been asked to justify the project, giving reasons that it won't invite climate eventualities," a forest officer said.
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