Wildlife Institute of India's green concerns shot down, NH-7 set to be widened

NAGPUR: Without giving heed to mitigation measures suggested by the country's apex wildlife body, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the decks were cleared for the widening of the 37km stretch on NH-7 between Mansar and Khawasa. Union ministers Nitin Gadkari (highways & transport), Prakash Javadekar (environment and forests) and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis attended the crucial meeting which was held in Pune on Friday evening.

Sources who attended the meeting told that Gadkari, the Nagpur MP, had his way in the meeting. None of the others, including Javadekar and Fadnavis, spoke as Gadkari decided to clear the four-laning of the stretch.

The highways minister also overruled the seven-member committee set up by Fadnavis to relook the mitigation measures suggested by the WII in 2012. He termed the committee "illegal" and said the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court had asked him, the chief minister and the union environment minister to decide on the issue.

The Gadkari, who is believed to have pushed off for a family holiday, was not available for comments. However, sources close to him told TOI, "Though the WII plan has not been agreed upon, we will spend around Rs122 crore on mitigation measures. All parties have agreed to it and the NHAI will file an affidavit in the high court in a day or two."

The high court will hear the matter on February 18.

The boundaries and buffer of the Pench Tiger Reserve and the Mansinghdeo Sanctuary fall on the 37km stretch. Though no wildlife deaths have been reported, there have been of instances of wildlife, including tigers, crossing the stretch on NH7.

As reported by TOI earlier, the high court had approved the formation of the seven-committee and, in its order on February 4, had even asked it to take a relook at the Rs244 crore mitigation plan proposed by WII.

The Pune meeting, which lasted for an hour, turned out to be one-sided with officials from Gadkari's ministry giving a presentation on the mitigation measures that they felt were appropriate. "The minister approved it without giving a chance to wildlife wing and WII officials to speak," said a source after leaving the meeting.

"This will perhaps be the first time in history that decisions in the interest of wildlife are taken by the highways ministry," said officials, adding that this has happened only with the change of government at the centre and state.