Lok Sabha Question No. 1903 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-30
Subject: Diversion of Wildlife Habitat Land for Projects
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Rahul Ramesh Shewale, Imtiaz Jaleel Syed, Girish Bhalchandra Bapat, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Ravneet Singh, Pritam Gopinath Munde, Asaduddin Owaisi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1903

TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2021

## Diversion of Wildlife Habitat Land for Projects

## 1903.  SHRI RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE:

SHRI SYED IMTIAZ JALEEL:

SHRI GIRISH BHALCHANDRA BAPAT:

SHRIMATI KANIMOZHI KARUNANIDHI:

SHRI RAVNEET SINGH BITTU:

DR. PRITAM  GOPINATHRAO  MUNDE:

SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) Whether  the  Government/National  Board  of  Wildlife  (NBWL)  has  approved  the diversion of large quantum of land of wildlife habitat for developmental projects/activities;
- (b) if so, the details of such proposals considered and approved including the land diverted from eco-sensitive zones, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks during each of the last two years, State/UT-wise;
- (c) Whether the Government has conducted any study  or assessed  the impact  of  such projects on the movement of wild animals and its habitat, if so, the details and the out come thereof;
- (d) whether  most  of  the  diversion  of  habitat  was  for  linear  projects  such  as  roads, railways, electricity transmission lines and clearance to such projects was given when the site visits were restricted during the year2020;
- (e) if so, whether the Government has asked NBWL to suggest alternate route for these projects; and
- (f) If  so,  whether  the  guidelines  governing  such  diversion  of  land  from  conservation areas were followed in this regard and if so, the details and if not, the measures taken for safety of wild animals?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) and (b) Proposals  for  developmental  activities  within  National  Parks,  Sanctuaries, Tiger Reserves, Tiger Corridors and those activities requiring environmental clearance  inside  Eco-sensitive  Zones  (ESZ)  around  National  Parks  and Sanctuaries are forwarded by State Governments for consideration by the

Standing  Committee of  the  National  Board  for  Wild  Life  (SCNBWL).  The proposals are forwarded after thorough scrutiny by the State Government and the  State  Board  for  Wild  Life  headed  by  the  respective  Chief  Ministers.

Incomplete proposals are returned to State Governments by the Ministry. The SCNBWL,  which  also  includes  eminent  ecologists,  conservationists  and environmentalists,  takes  informed  decisions  on  the  proposals  placed  for  its consideration. The number of project proposals considered and recommended by the SCNBWL in both forest and non-forest areas falling in national parks, sanctuaries, eco-sensitive zones, tiger reserves and tiger corridors during the last two years State/UT Wise is as given below:

|   S.No. | State/UT                 |   2019 |   2020 |
|---------|--------------------------|--------|--------|
|       1 | Andaman &Nicobar Islands |      1 |      0 |
|       2 | Andhra Pradesh           |      2 |      2 |
|       3 | Arunachal Pradesh        |      0 |      0 |
|       4 | Bihar                    |      1 |      0 |
|       5 | Goa                      |      2 |      2 |
|       6 | Gujarat                  |     13 |      2 |
|       7 | Jammu &Kashmir           |      2 |      2 |
|       8 | Jharkhand                |      1 |      1 |
|       9 | Karnataka                |      3 |      2 |
|      10 | Kerala                   |      1 |      2 |
|      11 | Madhya Pradesh           |      9 |      2 |
|      12 | Maharashtra              |     26 |      0 |
|      13 | Mizoram                  |      0 |      2 |
|      14 | Punjab                   |      1 |      0 |
|      15 | Rajasthan                |     10 |     12 |
|      16 | Tamil Nadu               |     27 |      1 |
|      17 | Telangana                |      1 |      4 |
|      18 | Tripura                  |     10 |      0 |
|      19 | Uttarakhand              |     15 |      6 |
|      20 | Uttar Pradesh            |      2 |      5 |

- (c) While recommending the proposals, the SCNBWL also imposes a condition that the annual  compliance  certificate on  the stipulated conditions  for recommended proposals should be submitted by the project proponent to the State Chief Wild Life Warden and an annual compliance certificate shall be submitted  by  the  State  Chief  Wild  Life  Warden  to  Government  of  India. Further, SCNWBL has decided in the 59 th meeting held on 5 th October, 2020 that the Integrated Regional Offices (IRO) of the Ministry shall carry out the monitoring  of  the  conditions  imposed  by  the  SCNBWL.  Accordingly,  the IROs  have  been  requested  to  carry  out  the  monitoring  of  the  conditions imposed by the SCNBWL.
- (d) During the year 2020, the SCNBWL held 3 meetings on 7 th April, 2020, 3 rd July,  2020  and  5 th October,  2020,  considered  and  recommended the project proposals for railways, roads, transmission lines, mining, defence, irrigation, development of judicial infrastructure, survey and geotechnical investigation, construction  of  bridge,  Submarine  Cable  System  etc  which  were  forwarded

for  consideration  of  the  SCNBWL  had  site  inspections  carried  by  the  State Government officials.  During  this  period,  the  SCNBWL  also  recommended policy initiatives such as conservation of Gangetic Dolphin, Action Plan on Vulture Conservation etc.

- (e) and (f) The Project Proposals are forwarded by the State Government after examining the alternatives and with justification. The SCNBWL also solicits advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun wherever required and takes informed decisions.

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