ITANAGAR, Jan 10: The XXII State Board for Wildlife (SBL) that met this evening under the chairmanship of Chief minister Pema Khandu resolved to recommend wildlife clearance for the much-awaited Miao-Vijaynagar road in Changlang district that passes through the famed Namdapha Tiger Reserve.
The Board accepted the proposal to realign the road at two stretches - which would actually reduce the length of the road considerably - owing to non-feasibility of maintenance along the said two stretches. The Board accepted the proposal of the executing agency for inclusion and implementation of the mandatory Animal Passage Plan and other measures in line with the National Tiger Conservation Plan. 
As per procedure, now the Board’s recommendation would be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL), which would finally recommend the Wildlife Clearance for the project.
Recommendations for Wildlife Clearances were also approved for further submission to the NBWL for the Pakke-Seijosa-Itakhola road, a portion of which falls within the buffer zone of Pakke Tiger Reserve in Pakke-Kessang district, and will connect eight villages under the Seijosa sub-division, widening of the Roing-Hunli road stretch that falls within the eco-sensitive zone of the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Rillo-Seijosa 132 KV transmission line and improvement of the Hukanjuri-Khonsa road (from 0.0 Km to 10.611 Km).
Before giving the nod, Board members discussed in detail the proposed mitigation plans for all of the above projects and expressed satisfaction.
The Board also accepted the proposal to declare Kaiser-I-Hind (Teinopal Pusimperiarlis), a rare butterfly found in the state as the official State Butterfly.
As declaring an official state representation would require the state government notification, Khandu requested the department to send the proposal to the Cabinet in its next sitting.
Meanwhile, various members of the Board raised issues pertaining to their respective jurisdictions. While rampant logging, poaching and hunting were brought to the Board’s notice, suggestions were made for ban on issue of license for all fire-arms except for small arms like pistol, which can only be used for self-defense and not hunting. A member also suggested that a strict directive may be sent through the respective deputy commissioners to all govt employees not to indulge in hunting. Facilitation of de-reserving parts of sanctuaries or parks where people are living since years or villages and towns have developed may also be considered, .... Page 2
....State Wildlife Board recommends wildlife clearance for road projects
for example in places like Seijosa and Bhalukpong, was also put forward.
One of the members representing the Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary near Pasighat raised the decades old issue of over-grazing of the forest land by cattle entering from nearby Assam. He claimed the number of cattle coming in from Assam has grown to thousands, which has turned the outer periphery of the sanctuary - once a huge grassland – into a barren land. He said the state government needs to take up the matter at the highest level as the concerned divisional forest office is not the competent authority.
Another issue he raised was that an embankment that would come up on the left bank of Siang river for flood protection of Sigar village would have a negative fall-out on the DEWS, which is already losing its land to the Siang during floods. He therefore urged an alternate protection work for the sanctuary along with the embankment on the left bank. 
Meanwhile, Khandu along with Legislator Laisam Simai and Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar released a book titled ‘Elephant distribution, corridor and potential habitat’. The book which is in Atlas form is authored by Umesh Kumar, DCF (Wildlife) and Dr Surendra Varma.
The meeting was attended by all top state Wildlife officials headed by PCCF & Principal Secretary M S Negi, representatives of police, horticulture, agriculture, fisheries departments and the World Wildlife Fund. CMO

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List