NBWL likely to approve controversial forest highway project
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) may soon give its approval to a controversial forest highway project – involving the widening of National Highway 31A from Sevoke to Gangtok – which has been awaiting the requisite go-ahead for the last nearly five years.
The approval of the project by the recently-constituted NBWL is apparently on the cards because the Modi Government has asked the standing committee of the board to speed up the clearance process for the project, which was first brought up for green clearance in 2009.
The forest highway project has been awaiting approval since long because the NH-31A from Sevoke to Gangtok passes through Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. The clearance to the project by the NBWL will imply that over seven hectares of land of the Sanctuary will have to be sacrificed for widening the highway.
A 7-mile stretch of NH-31 to Sevoke has forests on both sides. From Sevoke to Kalikhola river, the forest cover lies on the left side; and there is also reported animal movement at the barren river-bed of the Teesta river on the right side.
Noting that the widening of the forest highway could be devastating for the wildlife, state wildlife advisory board member Animesh Bose said: “Located between Teesta and Mahananda rivers, the forest has rich wildlife, including elephants, Indian gaurs, spotted deer, barking deer, leopards and even Bengal tigers… Widening of the road will surely spell trouble for the wildlife here.”
Source – The Times of India
highway project, Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary., Modi government, National Board for Wildlife, National Highway 31A
