WRD told to obtain wildlife clearance for Charavane minor irrigation tank

PANAJI

The Forest Department’s Project Screening Committee (PSC) has instructed the Water Resources Department (WRD) to obtain wildlife clearance from the central authorities for its proposed minor irrigation tank at Charavane village in Sattari, as the site lies within the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.

In a meeting last month, the PSC deferred its decision on permitting the diversion of 9.32 hectares of forest land for the project, pending wildlife clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), approval from the Eco-Sensitive Zone Monitoring Committee, NOC from the local panchayat, and identification of land for compensatory afforestation.

 “Since the project falls under the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, the user agency shall apply for requisite Wildlife Clearance before the NBWL,” the committee said advising to also take NOC from the local village panchayat for the project.

The WRD has initiated steps to resume the Charavane irrigation tank project, which had been stalled since 2007 due to lack of forest clearance.

During the meeting, WRD informed the committee that they are in process of identifying the land for compensatory afforestation and the proposal will be moved accordingly. The department also said that the work to draft disaster management plan, waste management plan and CTA plan is under process.

“The PSC decided that the proposal shall be further processed only after the observations made by the PSC are compiled by the UA,” the committee said.

The environmentalists like Rajendra Kerkar have raised strong objection to the project as according to them it will hamper the forest of the sanctuary and cause irreparable loss to the environment, ecology and wildlife of that area.

According to Kerkar the project was halted in 2007 as the State commenced work without NBWL approval.