Wildlife panel clears 13 defence, paramilitary projects in Ladakh, Arunachal

New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) has recommended 13 defence and paramilitary projects, most of them in high-altitude protected areas of Ladakh and one in Arunachal Pradesh, according to the minutes of its 86th meeting.

The proposals, submitted by the Ministry of Defence, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), include new border outposts, a brigade headquarters, ammunition storage and training facilities and bridge and culvert works.

The committee has approved these projects with strict environmental safeguards to protect fragile Himalayan ecosystems.

According to the minutes, the committee has recommended the use of 0.37 hectare of the Eco-Sensitive Zone of the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh for the construction of a 158-metre-long permanent bridge on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road under Project Vartak.

The area lies within a global biodiversity hotspot and an important elephant corridor.

The proposal was cleared with a mitigation plan that includes construction only during daylight hours, speed-control measures and waste and noise management.

In Ladakh, several major defence projects were approved inside the Changthang Cold Desert and Karakoram (Nubra-Shayok) wildlife sanctuaries.

These include the establishment of a 315 Field Workshop Company at Chushul, spread over 3.7 hectares, to support the 142 Infantry Brigade deployed near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The committee has also cleared a Formation Ammunition Storage Facility (FASF) at Tsogtsalu, covering 24.2 hectares, in the Changthang Sanctuary.

Another FASF of 47.1 hectares at KM-47 in the Karakoram Sanctuary has also been recommended.

A 48.6-hectare Training Node Area at Tara in the Changthang Sanctuary, located around 15,500 feet above sea level, was recommended to provide realistic high-altitude tactical training for troops.

The committee has also approved the use of 40 hectares at Chushul for establishing a Brigade Headquarters for the 142 Infantry Brigade, along with related support units.

Other projects cleared include an artillery battery on 9.46 hectares at KM-148 and an Army camp on 8.16 hectares at KM-120 in the Karakoram Sanctuary.

The committee has also recommended three new ITBP border outposts at Quazi Langer, Bopsang Lungpa and KM-156, each spread over about 1.62 hectares, and a 0.1-hectare transit detachment at KM-80.

A small hume pipe culvert at Mudh, near the Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground, was also cleared to facilitate movement across the Indus river.

During discussions, ecologist R Sukumar advised that defence infrastructure should not be located close to marshes, riverbanks or narrow valleys prone to flash floods and avalanches.

The committee noted his suggestions and directed that these be incorporated into mitigation plans.

The panel said while these projects are critical for national security, their implementation must ensure minimal ecological disturbance in the sensitive Himalayan landscape. PTI GVS RC