Speaking to DNA, environment minister Anil Dave said, "Yes, there is a policy under process on this issue and we will definitely have uniform guidelines that can be applied across the country."
The union ministry for environment, forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) will soon come out with uniform national policy guidelines on road, railway and other linear projects that pass through wildlife habitats to ensure their speedy clearances and also reduce the impact they have on forests and endangered wildlife.
Speaking to DNA, environment minister Anil Dave said, "Yes, there is a policy under process on this issue and we will definitely have uniform guidelines that can be applied across the country."
SS Negi, director general of forests said the policy guidelines, which are under process, will be discussed at length during the on-going ministry conference with state wildlife and forest chiefs. "The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will present a draft on this issue and also incorporate the views of states," said Negi. DNA had recently reported that more than 1200 passenger and goods trains pass through sensitive wildlife habitats across the country, posing threat to elephants, tigers and leopards.
A ministry note on this issue, while acknowledging that new projects of any kind are avoided within or near wildlife areas, also said that "location specificity or inevitability sometimes warrant appropriate mitigation measures for counter balancing negative impacts on habitat."
Presently, the MoEF&CC recommends 'mitigation measures' for linear projects on a case to case basis. Mitigation measures refer to specific conditions stipulated by the environment ministry while clearing linear projects that hamper wildlife habitats. In the case of highway projects, the ministry has in the past asked for building underpasses to ensure smooth movement of animals.
The ministry's move comes in the light of instances where clearances for linear projects got delayed after getting mired in court cases. In the recent past, the MoEF&CC's National Board for Wildlife cleared the controversial National Highway -7, (NH7) widening project between Maharashtra and Nagpur. The widened highway will cut through the crucial Kanha-Pench tiger corridor. Activists had dragged the road ministry and environment ministry to court on this issue and both had to eventually agree to build overpasses and underpasses on the highway to facilitate movement of animals.
The wildlife board also cleared the Sevak Rongpo railway line that will pass through Mahananda wildlife sanctuary. Under the National Democratic Alliance government, the environment ministry has cleared linear projects such as new railway lines, doubling of railway lines, widening of national highways, canals and power transmission lines despite opposition from within the ministry on several occasions.
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