Two months after the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change requested Uttarakhand authorities to think about avoiding delicate areas of the Shivalik Elephant Reserve whereas exploring land appropriate for enlargement of Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport, the state authorities, in its response, has said that there isn’t any viable various for the proposed exercise.
In a letter in October, the ministry had sought info, paperwork and justification on 14 factors relating to the undertaking from the state Forest Department.
The state had despatched a proposal looking for the Centre’s approval for non-forest use of 87 hectares (ha) of forest land in Dehradun district for the airport enlargement undertaking.
In response, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and nodal officer, Uttarakhand, D J Okay Sharma’s letter justifies the proposed exercise by stating that Uttarakhand shares a world border with China and Nepal, and thus this airport can be of immense strategic significance, particularly in view of its proximity to the LAC and the present scenario on northern borders.
ExplainedWhy runway must be prolongedDehradun airport performs a key position in rescue, aid and rehabilitation works throughout disasters within the state and huge plane have to function from this airfield throughout such emergencies. In view of accelerating air passenger visitors, the Airports Authority of India has projected an pressing have to improve the runway and different current facilities, the state had justified to MoEF.
“The proposed alignment of forest land is the only option for carrying out extension of the runway. There is no other alternate option which is technically feasible, as the alignment of runway cannot be changed,” reads the letter.
When contacted, Sharma mentioned reply has been despatched to all queries from the Union ministry.
On the MoEF’s question that your complete proposed forest space for diversion falls inside the Shivalik Elephant Reserve and elephant corridors inside its 1-km radius, the reply mentioned, “While it is true that the area forms part of Shivalik Elephant Reserve, it is not an identified elephant corridor. Further it is not in close proximity to the core and critical elephant habitat of Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The Kansaro-Barkot elephant Corridor is also located at least 4 to 5 km away from the proposed site. However, occasionally elephants cross over the area through the Jakhan river…taking that into account, necessary wildlife mitigation is proposed for the diversion of the forest land.”
In the letter, the stater authorities reiterated that the setting of a greenfield airport at some other location isn’t possible, as availability of land is restricted. It states that such an train would doubtlessly inflict better lack of pure assets similar to standing bushes, would incur enormous prices and would render a big funding which is already in place on the current facility as in fructuous.
“As such, the alternate option does not exist in this case,” the federal government said.
On the question concerning the space being a High Conservation Value space, the state authorities said that about 79 per cent of bushes of varied species that will likely be affected due to land switch proposal comprise pole crop. So the variety of bushes to be felled isn’t a real indicator of losses to that space on account of the proposed enlargement. With extra such explanations, the state authorities said that proposed space for the undertaking isn’t a excessive worth conservation space.
The letter said that the proposed space contains about 30 hectares of compensatory afforestation plantation finished in 2017-18.
