Oct 19 – The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife(NBWL), in its 80th meeting held on Oct 9 has yet again deferred permissions for Karnataka’s proposal for the use of 10.7 ha of forest land from the tiger corridor between the Kali and Sahyadri tiger reserves, for the Kalasa nullah water diversion scheme. The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. In its last i.e. 79th meeting also the NBWL Standing Committee had deferred the proposal stating that the matter was sub-judice.
▪️ Project not in sanctuary; water bodies to be useful for wildlife claims Karnataka
Karnataka Govt Additional Chief Secretary asserted during the 80th meeting that Supreme Court has not restrained the Karnataka Government and the matter is not sub-judice. The NTCA had constituted an expert committee which carried out site inspection and recommended the project proposal, he pointed out. Chief Wild Life Warden, Karnataka claimed that the project area is not part of any sanctuary but lies within a tiger corridor. The water bodies that would be created upon execution of the project would be useful for wildlife, he further claimed. Standing Committee has now decided to defer the proposal with a direction to the Karnataka Government to make written submission regarding the factual position pertaining to legal issues and also seek comments of the NTCA on the written submissions.
