After putting environmental clearances on the fast track, decks are now being cleared for setting up of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWl). According to Ministry sources, the task finds a place in the 100-day agenda of the Modi Government.
The NBWl’s term ended in September 2013 following which no decision could be taken on nearly 120 infrastructure projects. These include the controversial Navi Mumbai airport project, broad gauging of the elephant-killer rail tracks near Alipurduar in North Bengal , 520 MW Hydro Electric Power project on River Teesta in Sikkim amongst others.
The sources said, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar is seriously looking at the issue. Hectic lobbying is on by various environmentalists and NGOs to find a place in the 15-member standing committee of the NBWl.
The Environment Minister is the chairman of the committee, which meets once in three months to give clearance to projects passing through various protected areas of the country or those falling within a ten km radius.
According to a former NBWl member, it is time for the Government to take decisions on certain key issues, which were left hanging during the UPA regime. For instance, wildlife corridors need to be brought under the purview of NBWl standing committee. Though the issue has been discussed a number of times in the past, no decision has been taken so far. These patches of forest are vital for the movement of both wildlife and humans, and potential areas of conflict between them.
The connectivity for elephants is also a serious issue and nearly 70 corridors has been identified across the country. These corridors need to be notified as diversion of land in these areas would be required to follow certain laid out procedures, said a wildlife expert.
Another member expressed concern over the misunderstanding among the State Governments in drawing the boundaries of the Eco-Sensitive Zones around National Parks and Sanctuaries.He said the standing committee should also be involved in the process of delineation and analysis of eco fragile zones. This is particularly relevant in the case of Western Ghat controversy with the various states, he said.
The issue of diverting CAMPA funds for relocation of villages from the reserve also needs attention. The former members pointed to the huge corpus of funds available under this head which can be used for better habitat management. The issue had also come up for discussions in the past, but decision is pending in this regard, said a former standing committee member of NBWl.
Majority of other pending projects pertain to the construction of roads, highways and electric transmission lines passing through the protected area. Others include diversion of forest land from the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary for construction of a new railway line between Agartala and Sabroom (Tripura) and permission for control of fencing and patrol road on the Indo-Bangladesh border in Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram amongst others.