The Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) has given in-principal approval for diverting nearly 215 hectares of forestland for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Rs 1.1 lakh crore worth Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. However, the approval for the high-speed rail project which has drawn flak from the conservationists has come with certain conditions.

The patches of forest land will be carved out from the eco-sensitive zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Tungareshwar wildlife sanctuary and Thane creek flamingo sanctuary for the 500 km long rail corridor.

The NBWL in its meeting on January 10, 2019, allowed diversion of 3.2756 hactares of forestland from Creek Flamingo Wildlife Sanctuary and 97.5189 hactares  from deemed ESZ. In-principle approval was also given for diversion of 32.75 hectares of forestland and 77.30 hectares of non-forestland from Sanjay Gandhi National Park and 0.6902 ha of forestland and 4.7567 ha of non-forestland from Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.

The NBWL, under the Union Environment Ministry,  is responsible for framing India’s policy and strategy for wildlife conservation and one of its key tasks is to regulate development projects to safeguard wildlife.

To ensure that the bullet train project does not have adverse impact on the adjoining biodiversity, the NBWL has enlisted several conditions on the project proponent before initiating the construction, implementation of animal passage plans on the basis of the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) guidelines “Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts on Linear Infrastructures on Wildlife” being the major one.

The train will run at a speed of 320-350 km per hour and will have 12 stations between Mumbai and Ahmedabad across its 500 km stretch. The project is being implemented by National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited and financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which is lending Rs 88,000 crore at the 0.1 per cent interest which is required to be repaid in 50 years.

The NBWL approval lists out a number of measures like underpasses for wildlife, restriction on the movement of vehicles to existing roads and tracks. It has also suggested that the project agency will provide funds for compensatory plantation of trees.

Sources in the Ministry said that after intense discussions, the Standing Committee decided to recommend the project “subject to the conditions that permission for construction of the project shall be granted by the State Government only when animal passage plan is prepared by the project proponent in consultation with the State Chief Wildlife Warden on the basis of WII guidelines named eco-friendly measures to mitigate impacts on linear infrastructures on wildlife.

“The project proponent (NHSRCL) will comply with all the conditions imposed by the State Chief Wildlife Warden and mitigative measures suggested by committee constituted by the State Board for Wildlife,” said the sources.

Also, the project proponent has been asked to submit the annual compliance certificate on the stipulated conditions to the State Chief Wildlife Warden who will forward it to the Centre.

As the said project is being in the areas classified in Coastal Regulation Zone-I, wide variety of avifaunal diversity is observed. Hence adoption of measures for conservation of habitat of the avfauna found in the region will be desirable, noted the Board members chaired by Union Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.

As per the sources, the NHSCRL has been asked to ensure construction of a combined overpass (over the existing Diva - Vasai railway line and proposed DFC line) and underpass (under MAHSR, MMC and an elevated PWD road).

A joint wildlife corridor expert team comprising SGNP and TWLS Wildlife department, BNHS, Wildlife Institute (WII), Satpuda Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) will design and implement the technical requirements (re-wilding, guide fencing and ground preparation) related to the creation of effective wildlife corridors, said the sources.

However conservationists are not happy. They said that the mitigation measures remain only on paper and once the project is completed, neither the government nor the project agency is bothered about fulfilling them.