Wildlife body clears another rail line through Ratapani sanctuary

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has cleared construction of a third railway line through the Ratapani wildlife sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, on the Bhopal-Itarsi route, with several riders that includes building of overpasses and underpasses to help wildlife cross the tracks. The project involves construction of a rail line, electrification, signaling and telecommunication between Barkhera and Budhni and will require diversion of 268.27 hectares of forest.

The Bhopal-Itarsi route has witnessed frequently witnessed tigers and leopards getting killed by speeding trains. A 12-km section already passes through the sanctuary.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recommended a slew of riders to protect wildlife. It said that 21 underpasses, three overpasses, chain link fencing at nine places should be built to enable animal crossings and to reduce wildlife mortality. At least 30 percent of the proposed new rail line between Budhni and Barkhera should be equipped with infrastructure to protect wildlife, it added. The construction of infrastructure for wildlife crossing and protection has to be based on Wildlife Institute of India's guidelines to mitigate impacts of linear infrastructure. It contains specifications for building the wildlife crossings.

An expert body comprising of an NTCA official, Wildlife Institute of India scientist and a non-official member of NBWL had also inspected the site to recommend more measures to mitigate impact on wildlife.

The expert body said that the Central India Tiger landscape is going to witness expansion of rail lines and construction of highways that pose a serious threat to wildlife, including tiger. In this backdrop, it has recommended that a comprehensive study should be carried out in the region to identify and track wildlife movement in order to make suitable passages.

In a meeting with the Railways last June, NTCA had raised an alarm about the high frequency of tiger deaths on railway tracks while the environment ministry had also sent letters to Railways flagging the same issue. Madhya Pradesh has seen a significant concentration of wildlife mortality on rail tracks. In fact, more than five tigers have died in a specific section, between Budhni and Mid-Ghat area of Sehore district, passing through Ratapani sanctuary.

THREAT TO WILDLIFE

• An expert body had inspected the site to recommend steps to mitigate impact on wildlife.
   
• It recommended a comprehensive study to identify and track wildlife movement to make suitable passages.