The work is part of the 117.058km project from Deolapar on Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra border and includes Kanhan-Tekadi and the new outer ring road touching near Sahara City near Nagpur. While NHAI has completed most of the work, it is yet to get forest clearance in the 39km patch from Deolapar side. The Supreme Court has also not granted relief for four-laning along both the Pench tiger reserves and said the decision will be taken on merit.
Yet, after completing work between Tekadi and Mansar, NHAI has started road and canal work near Khumari and Kandri near Chorbahuli. Wildlife experts say the work is in violation of FCA 1980.
The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) guideline on FCA regarding projects involving forests as well as non-forests land is very clear. It states: "If a project involves forest as well as non-forest land, work should not be started on non-forest land till approval of the central government for release of forest land under the FCA has been given."
Even as MoEF has not granted forest clearance to NHAI, its concessionaire Oriental Nagpur Bypass Construction Private Limited has started work in non-forest land close to Mansinghdeo sanctuary. Read the full report here.
Source: Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN, Nagpur.
