Over the last seven months, 81 proposals in different parts of the country have been given the green signal by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) to commence projects in and around Protected Areas. Incidentally, over 50 per cent of the projects cleared were in four Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states.
Although the clearances issued were well within the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), the drastic numbers of projects cleared are likely to catch the attention of wildlife activists who have been lobbying for stronger institutional mechanisms.
The NBWL essentially has the final say for all projects expected to be established in the vicinity of wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, or any protected areas throughout the country.
In the past year, Union Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar had taken up 280 proposals, whereas this year has seen 81 projects being authorized by the NBWL.Out of the 81 projects cleared in 2015, nine are in the vicinity of tiger reserves, and 27 projects are neighbouring wildlife sanctuaries. The projects that have been cleared include the establishment or expansion of coal based power plants in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, along with various projects centered on the expansion of roads, railways, telecommunication, and irrigation. The sanctioned projects to be established close to wildlife sanctuaries also include the construction of South Asian University near Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, and an underground crude oil pipeline in the vicinity of Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary.
The NBWL cleared 11 out of 20 private projects in Haryana this year, and eight of the 11 cleared are meant for setting up petrol pumps in different districts of the state.
Source: Times of India
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