Hurried nod to mining projects that will fell 1.23 lakh trees in Gadchiroli

Nagpur: In a move that will lead to the felling of nearly 1.23 lakh trees in Gadchiroli's Etapalli and Bhamragarh tehsils, the Standing Committee (SC) of the State Board for Wildlife (SC-SBWL) approved three proposals for the diversion of 1,070 hectares forest land at Konsari for a mining major, which is already involved in iron mining at Surjagarh.
The sixth SC-SBWL meeting, held on October 9, 2024, was convened hurriedly at a day's notice, just eight days after the last meeting. The principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF, Wildlife), who is a member of the board, was not present physically but attended the meeting virtually from Delhi.
The last SC-SBWL meeting was held in Mumbai on September 30, 2024. Never before have such meetings been held in quick succession. As per the agenda, the proposals were submitted on October 8 and cleared on October 9. The model code of conduct for assembly elections is expected to come into force any time now in Maharashtra.
Though all the projects fall within the Tadoba-Indravati tiger reserve corridor, the state's chief wildlife warden (CWLW) approved them subject to wildlife mitigation measures suggested by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.
The proposals include permission to explore hematite and quartzite reserves and mine iron ore in 10 forest compartments in Hedri, Bande, and Parsalgondi villages in Etapalli. The project involves the diversion of 998 hectares, of which 61 hectares is non-forest land. The cost of the project in the tiger corridor itself is Rs250 crore and will require the felling of 1.23 lakh old-growth trees.
In India, around 70% of the hematite reserves and 50% of the total remaining resources are located in Odisha and Jharkhand, while Chhattisgarh and Karnataka account for around 11% each of the hematite reserves and around 40% of total remaining resources. Quartzite stone is used in construction when a very durable material is needed. Examples include paving stones, walls, dams, roof tiles, and counter-tops.
The PCCF (Wildlife) recommended the project subject to the payment of a 4% conservation fee to the Tadoba Foundation. Besides, the user agency has been asked to take up compensatory plantations only in adjoining landscapes, and implement a wildlife mitigation plan recommended by WII, Dehradun.
One of the proposals cleared includes a transmission line, an emergency road, and the setting up of a ground conveyor to transport ore at Hedri and Bande. It will need the diversion of 21 hectares of forest land, and over 5,200 trees will be felled. The cost of the project in the tiger corridor is Rs106 crore. Sources said the proposals were expedited as a special case since the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state govt to provide jobs to locals.
The third proposal cleared included the laying of a nearly 50km water pipeline through the tiger corridor from the Pamulgautam river to the company's Hedri project site. Over 10 hectares of forest will be diverted for the project, and over 100 trees will be felled.