Defence Infrastructure Projects In Arunachal, Gujarat, Ladakh And Sikkim Get Wildlife Board's Green Light

The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, has approved 32 defence infrastructure projects, Assam Tribune reported.

The projects involve land diversion from protected areas and eco-sensitive zones across Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Gujarat, and Sikkim.

The sanctioned proposals include the construction of strategic roads, helipads, training zones, ammunition depots, and housing for troops and artillery units, many of which fall within ecologically sensitive sanctuaries.

Ladakh accounts for the bulk of these, with over two dozen projects cleared within the Karakoram (Nubra-Shyok) and Changthang wildlife sanctuaries.

Key approvals in Ladakh include:

 - 33.4 hectares for an artillery regiment and field hospital at Bogdang.

 - 47.6 hectares for a forward aviation base at Shyok.

 - 25.1 hectares for Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) housing.

 - 31 hectares for ammunition storage at Gapshan.

 - 40.47 hectares for an Army regiment at Nidder.

In Arunachal Pradesh, two major road projects by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) within the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary were cleared.

These are the 56-km Malinye-Balua-Kapuda road, requiring 121 hectares of land (including 9.73 ha from the eco-sensitive zone), and the 20.88-km Kapuda-Phuphu road involving 44.13 hectares.

NBWL member R Sukumar noted during discussions on Malinye-Balua-Kapuda road project, “The animal passage plan for the present proposal should address the wildlife movement for the animals found in the sanctuary.”

The committee directed the user agency to implement the animal and mitigation plans submitted, ensuring adequate passage structures “for the movement of wildlife, including terrestrial and arboreal mammals, reptiles across the road.”

In Gujarat’s Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary, two projects were approved: a 5.586-hectare BOP link road and a 19.83-hectare site for a helipad, training area, and troop accommodation at Rodasar Lakki.

All clearances are subject to strict mitigation, operational, and compliance conditions.

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