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Supreme Court panel flags clearance to road in Rajaji reserve

  • Integrity Education, Delhi
  • 24, Sep 2021
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A Supreme Court-appointed committee has questioned relaxations given for upgrade of a 4.7-km road in the buffer zone of Rajaji Tiger Reserve

What are the issues ?

  • Length of an elevated road for movement of animals was reduced to 400 metres from 1,410 metres 
  • The height of the passage was also revised down to 6 metres from 8 metres

Recommendations of Authorities

  • National Tiger Conservation Authority has recommended elevated road length of 710M
  • But the report later jointly prepared by NTCA & Wildlife Institute of India has proposed 1410M elevated road.
  • The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) is the apex agency to clear projects in and around protected areas.
  • According to NBWl, entire 4.7 km should be elevated as part of mitigation steps.

About Rajaji Tiger Reserve

  • Center Government notified Rajaji as 48th Tiger Reserve of India on 15th April 2015
  • It is the 2nd Tiger reserve of Uttarakhand (after Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve)
  • Rajaji Tiger Reserve inherited its name from the Rajaji Sanctuary
  • Rajaji Sanctuary was named after C. Rajagopalachari, lovingly known as Rajaji, the first Governor General of independent India
  • Forests of Rajaji include the Moist Shivalik Sal Forest, Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest, Northern Dry Mixed Deciduous and Khair-Sissoo forests in the Southern Slopes, Low Alluviaval Savannah woodlands cover the drier southern margis of the Park.
  • The higher reaches of the Shivalik hills are swathered in Chir-Pine Forest.
  • More than 50 species of mammals including the highly endangered Asian Elephant and Tiger found in the Park.
  • Besides tiger, leopard, Himalayan Black bear, sloth bear, Civet, Marten, Jackal, Hyena etc also find their habitat in the park.