Nagzira – Nawegaon (Maharashtra): The face-off between development agencies and environment conservationists is once again at the fore with the issue of expansion of National Highway (NH) – 6 in the central Indian state of Maharashtra.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently rejected the plan of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for mitigation of damage to wildlife due to the expansion (four-laning) of NH6.

While the expansion work was already on-going in NH6, an 85-km stretch that runs through the critical Nagzira – Nawegaon Tiger Corridor raised the bone of contention between the two bodies.

Nagzira – Nawegaon corridor connects nine tiger reserves in central India and is itself a part of the proposed Nagzira – Nawegaon Tiger Reserve. The corridor connectivity presently remains as two narrow strips of forest running almost parallel to each other, connecting Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in the north and Nawegaon National Park in the south. The corridor’s contiguity is broken by NH 6 crossing East-West.

“This is one of the more important landscapes for tigers, supporting about one-sixth of the world’s tiger population,” said Dr MK Ranjitsinh, Chairman – Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

The issue of expansion in NH6 affecting the corridor was brought to the notice of the authorities by WTI’s state facilitator Prafulla Bhamburkar while working in the Vidarbha Tiger Corridor Securement Project. Assisting the Forest Department, WTI with the help of renowned wildlife lawyer – Ritwick Dutta, then approached the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which eventually directed the NHAI to stop the work and put in place valid mitigation measures.

The subsequent NHAI report had suggested creation of three-metre-high underpasses in critical sections of the corridor for animals to cross through. It had recommended chain-link fencing other areas to compel the animals to use these underpasses, and stop them from crossing the highway in other areas to prevent road hits.

“This recommendation was literally amounting to narrowing down the corridor further and leaving only a few small passes for the animals,” said Bhamburkar.

Now with the NHAI-recommended plan rejected, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has been brought in to develop a new one.

Meanwhile, it emerged that even with the expansion work already in progress, NHAI has violated the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980.

“The FCA necessitates clearance by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) for any developmental activities within 10-km radius of the country’s protected areas. This was not adhered to,” said Bhambhurkar.