BackEnvironment ministry may bar new roads in protected areas
Move comes after the govt decided to accept most of the recommendations of the M.K. Ranjitsinh-led sub-committee
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Building new roads and widening existing ones in India’s 619 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries may be barred, with the government accepting most of the recommendations of a panel report.
In a letter sent to all state governments, the ministry of environment and forests ministry said the “principles provided in the report of the sub-committee have been adopted as generic principle".
“New roads shall not be proposed inside national park and sanctuaries," the letter added.
The sub-committee headed by M.K. Ranjitsinh, wildlife expert and member of National Board of Wildlife (NBWL), was formed in March 2013. The Ranjitsinh panel submitted its report to the NBWL standing committee in September 2013, which agreed to adopt the guidelines. The standing committee further discussed the matter on 12-13 August, after which the ministry accepted the majority of its recommendations.
The ministry, however, said: “cases of resurfacing and strengthening of existing highways not involving widening within protected areas will be possible without reference to standing committee of NBWL."
The clarification would be a relief for highway authorities, since clearances for such cases often remain pending for long.
“Cases of widening of existing roads, if unavoidable due to reason of purpose and alignment, could be placed before NBWL’s standing committee, which shall consider such cases keeping in view the feasibility of mitigation measures irrespective of cost," said the ministry letter.
India has 102 national parks and 517 wildlife sanctuaries across 161,221 sq.km, which is around 4.9% of India’s total geographical area. The central government provides financial and technical assistance to the state governments to support these protected areas, protect their wildlife and for programmes to save critically endangered species and their habitats.
The Ranjitsinh sub-committee had recommended three basic principles while considering roads in and around national parks and sanctuaries, in order of priority: avoidance, re-alignment and restoration. It stressed that the foremost option while considering roads should be to avoid areas within or in the vicinity of any protected area, followed by efforts to realign the routes being suggested. Roads not in use may be decommissioned and ecologically restored, said the sub-committee.
The Ranjitsinh panel had also recommended status quo on roads passing through national parks and core critical tiger habitats.
Regarding roads used by the forest department for purposes of patrolling and tourism inside protected areas, the sub-committee noted that “no new roads should be constructed".
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