10th Feb., 2018

NEW DELHI: All proposals for highways, railway tracks, canals and power lines passing through wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas will now have to include a plan to provide for safe movement of wildlife and allocate budget for animal passages.

Linear infrastructure project passing through protected areas and notified eco sensitive zone around protected areas must submit an animal passage plan with a clear budget head to get prior approval of National Board for Wildlife, a standing committee of the apex wildlife protection body has decided.

The standing committee, headed by environment minister Harsh Vardhan, made this decision on January 25. This is the first time that animal passage plan has been made binding on implementing agencies of infrastructure projects. The meeting was attended by Wildlife Institute of India director VB Mathur and National Tiger Conservation Authority officials Debabrata Swain and Nishant Verma.

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