JAIPUR: The proposed expansion of Kolana airstrip in
Jhalawar to a full-fledged domestic airport may jeopardize the relocation of tigers in the area as it would entail acquisition of a large chunk of forest land.
The airstrip, which was built to cater to charter and VIP flights, is proposed to be upgraded as a major domestic airport.
According to sources, the state government intends to increase the length of the runway at Kolana, from the current 1,700 metres to 3,000 metres, to enable landing of bigger commercial aircraft.
For this, the department has requested a diversion of 120 hectares of forest land. The existing airstrip is spread across 49.99 hectares.
Ironically, the expansion is proposed on a piece of forest land that lies about 6km away from the
Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR), where recently the
National Tiger Conservation Authority (
NTCA) had approved the Rajasthan government's tiger relocation plan.
The forest advisory committee (FAC) of the environment ministry had brought to government's attention that there should be no conflicting activity within a 10km radius of MHTR that violates the Environment Protection Act 1986 as the eco-sensitive zone around the reserve has not yet been notified.
The FAC further said that the state's plan to set up a terminal on 21 hectares of forest land, along with a safety zone of 79.52 hectares, is large compared to other such airstrips in the country.
The decision to acquire 9.71 hectares of forest land in 2008 for the construction of the airstrip has itself been challenged and an FIR lodged as this was done allegedly in violation of the Forest Conservation Act 1980.
In a meeting held a month ago, the FAC had asked the state government to explain why it had allowed the use of forest land for a non-forestry purpose like the construction of the airstrip. It had also wanted action initiated against authorities responsible for the violation of FC Act 1980.
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