Guwahati: The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) Standing Committee has approved diverting 310 hectares of core forest land from Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh to construct the Arunachal Frontier Highway (NH?913), amid concerns about potential environmental and wildlife impacts.
This forest land in Changlang district lies along the planned highway corridor, which will connect NH?215 near Kharsang to the Miao?Gandhigram?Vijaynagar road close to the India?Myanmar border.
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The Arunachal Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) requested 248.79 hectares for roadway expansion and an additional 61.21 hectares for muck disposal.
During a June 26 meeting, members H.S. Singh and Dr. R.?Sukumar, alongside the state’s Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW), voiced concerns about cutting approximately 155,000 trees and the absence of a scientifically-based wildlife mitigation plan, particularly for animal underpasses and overpasses.
Dr. Sukumar acknowledged the road’s strategic importance but warned that the PWD’s standard culvert design would not support wildlife movement. He also questioned the need for such extensive widening. Singh recommended revising the animal passage designs before final approval. Despite these warnings, the committee ultimately cleared the project.
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The CWW defended the project, explaining that the road is only expanding to intermediate lane width (from 3.5 meters) and that the tree count includes undergrowth and poles, not only mature trees.
To protect wildlife, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) agreed to develop a site-specific animal passage plan within three months, ensuring that project construction accommodates real animal movement patterns.
In a related move, the NBWL also approved the diversion of 133 hectares of Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) and tiger corridor land in Andhra Pradesh for a four-lane national highway between Kadapa and Renigunta. This decision affects the ESZs around Sri Venkateswara and Sri Penusila Lakshmi Narasimha Wildlife Sanctuaries, as well as the tiger corridor connecting Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve to Sri Venkateswara National Park.