Wildlife panel clears Rajaji buffer land diversion for Kotdwar bypass project
National Board for Wildlife
approved the diversion of 1.1 hectare of forest land from the buffer zones of
Rajaji Tiger Reserve
and Shivalik Elephant Reserve for the 4-laning of the Kotdwar bypass under Bharatmala Pariyojna, during a meeting in March, with minutes released recently. The land will be used to connect the Najibabad-Kotdwar road to the Kotdwar-Pauri road.
Rajaji Tiger Reserve is a critical habitat for tigers, leopards, elephants and other wildlife species, while the Shivalik Elephant Reserve plays a key role in elephant conservation in the country. Environmentalists have often raised concerns about infrastructure projects cutting across this landscape, citing risks of habitat fragmentation and disruption to wildlife corridors. The Kotdwar bypass is part of Bharatmala Pariyojna, a national programme aimed at improving road connectivity across India.
During its 80th meeting, the SCNBWL had formed a committee comprising experts from the ministry of forest, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Wildlife Institute of India, state forest department, and the user agency (ministry of road transport and highways). The committee carried out the site appraisal and examined the animal passage plan linked to the project.
In the 81st meeting, the committee deferred the proposal to allow a comprehensive review with all stakeholders on road projects in the Rajaji-Corbett landscape before taking final stand on the matter.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Following an analysis by the committee and expert reviews, the SCNBWL cleared the project in March with ten conditions. The minutes accessed by TOI said, "The User Agency shall comply with all the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and all other Acts, Rules, Regulations, Guidelines, honourable Court Orders, and honourable NGT orders pertaining to this project, if any, for the time being in force, as applicable to the project."
One of the conditions stated that forest land shall not be used for any purpose other than specified in the proposal. The User Agency and the chief wildlife warden would be responsible for submitting an annual compliance certificate. Regular monitoring and checks for any violations of guidelines or the Act would be overseen by the divisional forest officer or director. Setting up labour camps within the buffer zone has been prohibited.
"All the recommendations of the site inspection committee shall be adhered to by the User Agency. While compensating for the buildings and trees, the state govt may process the claim in the proposal submitted under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980," the minutes further said.
The minutes added that the legal status of the diverted forest land would remain unchanged, and only the minimum identified trees would be cut following standard practices. Both the Uttarakhand high court and Supreme Court have in recent years stressed the importance of careful environmental assessments before allowing road expansions in sensitive ecological zones like Rajaji and Shivalik.
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