The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), as part of its ambitious golden quadrilateral project linking Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai, was given the nod to widen the current two-lane National Highway 7 to a four-lane expressway by the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) chaired by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. The four-lane highway will splice open a vital tiger corridor connecting Kanha and Pench, two ecologically and economically significant wildlife parks in Madhya Pradesh.
Despite environmental and wildlife experts and agencies in the country opposing the project, the NHAI has been dogged in its resolve to build the road even though it means cutting down 22,000 old-growth trees in one of the most crucial conservation units of the country.
On August 19, 2015, after seven years of legal turmoil, the Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar agreed to construct three overpasses for wildlife, two of 750 m. and one of 300 m. along stretches of National Highway 7 (NH-7), a road which has seen over a 1,000 wild animal roadkills owing to the high-speed traffic.
The Ministry of Transport had earlier opposed mitigation measures suggested by the Wildlife Institute of India for this construction that will allow safe passage for wild animals. At a meeting held a few months ago with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Gadkari had categorically ruled out building the three flyovers along the Mansar-Khawasa stretch of the highway in Nagpur.The issue had then been fought between the High Court in Nagpur and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Delhi. The Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) finally granted wildlife clearance to the project.
Earlier, the WII and NTCA proposed alternate route through Chhindwara, was rejected citing lack of funds. Consequently, WII's first mitigation plans were watered down, and the overpass concept was introduced. The organisation slashed its expenditure from Rs. 750 crore to almost half the amount. An NHAI official said,“Our annual budget for tiger conservation is less than Rs. 200 crore and here we are talking about spending Rs. 220 crore for a 37 km. stretch of road. This is a Rs. 350-crore project and everyone agreed to a mitigation budget of Rs. 122 crore. We can spend a little more than our stipulated funds and they (WII and NTCA) can modify the structure lengths to reach a solution. We are open to their proposals, but we cannot spend the extra Rs. 98 crore required for these flyovers. How far we can stretch is a call the government and the court will have to take."
However, after much deliberation, the plan for the three flyovers was finally decided upon.“We have agreed to construct the flyovers, even if it costs us Rs 100 crore more. The Surface Transport and Environment Ministries will submit a joint affidavit in courts to the effect," Gadkari said.
Source: Indian Express
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             The Economic Times
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First published in: Sanctuary Asia.
