13 yrs on, Gadchiroli project gets govt nod

A decade-old railway project proposed in tiger corridors has been finally approved by the wildlife panel of the Environment Ministry. Once implemented, it will cut through six tiger reserves, resulting in axing of 9,452 trees.

The project will be built in Gadchiroli, which is a Maoist-affected area. The Maharashtra Government had in 2018 fast-tracked the clearances, stating that the project was aimed at holistic development in the Maoist belt of the state.

The Rs 1,200 crore New Broad Gauge Railway Line between Wadsa and Gadchiroli is a project whose cost will be shared between the Maharashtra Government and the Centre. It requires the diversion of 206 acres of forestland from Kanha-Navegaon-Nagzira-Tadoba-Andhari-Indravati Tiger Reserves.

The project was first proposed in 2011 but as its location was in the Indravati Tiger Reserve, the wildlife panel had asked Railways to take mitigation measures before clearances could be given. One of the suggestions was to translocate the trees which will be cut.

The cost of the project when it was first conceived was estimated to be Rs 575 crore. The length of the railway line is 52.36 km.

The project was approved by the Maharashtra Forest Department and the state government. However, projects which require diversion of forest land require clearances from the Union Government.

According to the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife, the number of trees which were proposed to be cut down initially were 1,089. However, in a new survey by the Maharashtra Government, the number has been increased to 9,452.

Now, the wildlife panel has asked the Railways to provide funds to carry out transplantation of the trees which will be cut during the project. Last year, the wildlife panel had cleared the way for a railway line through the Kagaznagar tiger corridor in Telangana.