The 28th standing committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWl) nation’s top most wildlife policy making body is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss 74 new proposals.
Among them include five from Maharashtra and 11 are from Gujarat. The largest number of 20 proposals is from Madhya Pradesh, while the rest are scattered from across the different States of the country.
According to Satpuda Foundation in Maharastra a member of SC-NBWl that the maximum of about 40 proposals are from protected Areas alone and 34 are from the forest area within 10 km from
boundary of sanctuary/
National Park. The meeting would be chaired by the Minister of Environment and Forest, Jayanthi Natarajan.
According to sources, the proposals largely relate to infrastructure projects related to infrastructure linear projects as roads, highways, power, drinking water, mining etc. The total number of 74 proposals lined up for discussion is amongst the highest to be discussed in any meetings in the past. The last meeting of NBWl had discussed 48 proposals.
Prominent amongst the members of SC-NBWl expected to attend the meeting who have submitted their agenda items. include Dr MM Ranjitsinh, Kishor Rithe, Dr AJT Johnsingh, Prerna Bindra, Dr Madhusudan of Nature Conservation Foundation of Mysore.
Among the proposals that are likely to come up include the construction of new broad gauge railway line by North Frontier Railways from Sevok in West Bengal to Rongpo at Sikkim over 32.586 ha within Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, West Bengal.
The site for the proposed project of about 42 kms length was inspected by a team comprising of Dr MK Ranjitsinh, Prerna Bindra, Dr MD Madhusudan of standing committee of NBWl last month. The report will be discussed in the meeting.
The members had already opposed the project earlier arguing that if implemented will affect the migration of a population of about 300-350 Asiatic elephants in the area, This will further escalate incidents of man elephant conflicts.
The controversial issue of sand and boulder mining (Minor Minerals), along the various tracts of River Ganges and tributaries across Uttarakhand is also expected to be discussed. The diversion of 79.474 ha of forest land in Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and Wild Ass Sanctuary for construction of Gaduli to Hajipur-Odma-Khavda-Kunariya-Dholavira-Maovana-Gadakbet-Santalpur road is also expected to be discussed.