Guwahati: The National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) has given its nod to the proposal for the 25KV railway electrification of the 9 km long Lumiding-Dibrugarh section of Northeast Frontier Railway in Assam.
The project, to be executed by IRCON International Limited, will utilize 9 hectares of land, including 1.6 hectares from Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary and 7.4 hectares from its notified Eco-Sensitive Zone.
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The decision was made after extensive discussions and deliberations by the Standing Committee of the NBWL in its meeting held on October 9, chaired by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
According to the minutes of the 80th meeting of the Standing Committee of NBWL, while the proposal was recommended by the Assam Chief Wildlife Warden, the State Board for Wildlife, and the Assam government, the Standing Committee imposed a few conditions to mitigate potential impacts on wildlife.
One of the key conditions is the implementation of speed restrictions for trains passing through the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary.
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Taking inspiration from the Buxa Tiger Reserve, the Standing Committee suggested that the Forest Department prescribe appropriate speed limits to minimize disturbances to wildlife.
To ensure the safe movement of elephants and Hoolock gibbons across the electrified railway track, the Standing Committee mandated the installation of mitigation measures designed by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. The electric wires will not be energized until these measures are fully in place.
Additionally, the Standing Committee stipulated that no construction activity shall be carried out between sunset and sunrise to avoid disturbing wildlife during sensitive times.
To address potential human-wildlife conflicts, the Standing Committee required the User Agency to deposit 2% of the project cost as a Corpus Fund with the Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam.
This fund will be used for preparing and implementing a Human Elephant/Wildlife Conflict Mitigation and Wildlife Conservation Plan.
The Standing Committee further mandated that the User Agency submit an annual compliance certificate to the State Chief Wildlife Warden, and the State Chief Wildlife Warden will in turn submit an annual compliance certificate to the Government.
The decision to approve the proposal to use 9 hectares of land, including 1.6 hectares from the Wildlife Sanctuary, for the railway electrification has sparked concerns among environmentalists and wildlife conservationists.
The electrification project is expected to have significant negative impacts on the primate population, particularly the Hoolock Gibbons for which the sanctuary is renowned.
They argue that the railway electrification project could disrupt the habitat of the Hoolock Gibbons and increase the risk of accidents involving trains and wildlife.