NAGPUR: Amid rising protest against the inter-modal station (IMS) project at Ajni, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has submitted a fresh proposal to Central Railway stating that schools, residential quarters, offices and other buildings will be rehabilitated at another site to save trees. Environment activists however feel that despite this, the project will cause irreversible environmental damage.
TOI recently reported about NHAI’s decision of revising the plan, which was recently announced by Nitin Gadkari, union minister for road transport and highways at a press meet held in the city. For phase-1 of the project, 44.5 acres have been handed over to the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA).
In NHAI's new proposal, Central Railway has ben asked to provide its Concor depot land at Ajni. “The depot is being shifted at Khapri. Our suggestion is to shift the utilities including schools, quarters and other offices at CONCOR land which is adjacent to the Ajni site. By doing this, we aim to reduce the number of trees to be felled by half,” NHAI officials said.
As reported by TOI earlier, NHAI along with Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s garden department carried a joint survey of the project site. The garden department has submitted the survey report to NHAI according to which 6,900 trees will be felled in about 54 acres of the land for the first phase of the project. In its two applications, NHAI had sought permission to cut 1,940 trees for phase-1.
According to garden superintendent Amol Chorpagar, NHAI will now have to submit fresh application if they want to fell trees. As per sources, the utilities were supposed to come up at a land opposite proposed IMS site, where over 3,000 trees were to be felled. “These trees can be saved if Central Railway agrees to give Concor land,” they added.
Railway sources confirmed that a proposal from NHAI has been received. “We have multi-disciplinary departments and we need to work out feasibility of the project. We have asked NHAI to submit a detailed presentation which will be submitted to our headquarters in Mumbai,” they said.
A meeting between NHAI and central railway is expected to take place on March 1 to discuss the proposal.
According to environment activists, shifting the utilities won’t suffice. “Coming up of IMS at Ajni will still lead to massive loss of green cover and biodiversity habitat, apart from traffic congestion and pollution. IMS should be shifted at Khapri and the green belt of Ajni should be developed as a biodiversity park and heritage site,” said environment activist Jaydeep Das.
Meanwhile, Friday was the last day for submitting tenders for preparing DPR for IMS. “As a DPR is being made now, new consultants should be appointed. Also, a proper environment impact assessment of the project should be done,” added Das.
NHAI NEW PROPOSALS
* Rlys shift schools, quarters and other offices to Concor land at Ajni
* Hope to save half of 6900 trees slated to be cut
* Meeting to iron out issues on March 1
NMC VIEW
* Fresh application must to cut trees
* First proposal had listed only 1,940 trees
GREEN VOICE
* Shift IMS to Khapri
* Develop Ajni land as bio-diversity park and heritage site