Nagpur: Moefcc has rejected the Maharashtra government proposal to provide stage-I forest permissions for the construction of the world’s first single rope suspension bridge (skywalk) that connects the storm & goreghat point at Hill Chikhaldara Station.
Hospital 38.21-crore business is being executed by City & Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO) and plans to increase tourism.
Although the project is under the jurisdiction of the Chikhaldara City Council, Amravati, it requires a transfer of 0.9286 hectares of solid reserve forest, equivalent to more than two fields of football.
The proposed forest land in the East Melghat division is part of the ECO (ESZ) sensitive zone and also the buffer area of the Matghat Tiger Reserve (MTR).
On March 15, 2021, the state government sought forest permissions for projects based on part 2 of the forest law (FCA), 1980.
However, last month, MoeFCC rejected CidCo’s proposal which stated that it was a non-site specific.
and can be found on non-forest land.
“The proposed area is part of the MTR and supports unique ecological habitat.
It is one of the remaining territories of the tiger that is less fragmented equipped with various species of flora and fauna that is endangered and therefore and therefore the area requires the level of conservation and High protection, “said MoeFcc to reply to the country.
MOEFCC then clarified that “Chikhaldara has become a favorite hill station and Safari Hotspot.
Every further plan to increase tourist inflows must be considered only after conducting studies of ecological tourism and carrying capacity.
Therefore, proposals are rejected according to the FCA provisions.” “In accordance with the provisions Stipulated under the 1.15 of the ‘Handbook on FCA’, published in 2019, there should be no justification to find non-specific projects in forest land.
Therefore, the state government must examine alternatives in more detail and must provide Total justification that stipulates its untruth to find projects in forest areas, “Moefcc officials said on anonymity.
Speaking with Toi, CidCo Executive Engineer Devendra Jamnikar said, “The proposal was approved by the relevant official after a lot of thinking and hence, the state recommended it to MoeFcc.
Skywalk 407 meters long, with a depth of 500 feet of the ground, is the first single cable bridge in the world .
Most of these projects in other countries are double cable bridges.
“Jamnikar added,” Chikhaldara is the only Bukit station in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions and hence, this project has great potential to increase direct and indirect work through tourism.
It will also add tiger tourism at MTR.
We have completed 70% working on project spending more than RS 23 Crores in the past two years.
“The official CidCo said only 0.9826-hectare forest land and even outside of this area, 0.8126 hectares consisted of From the hanging part that will not have a direct trace of the forest land.
Tourists will use the bridge overhanging to walk across the deep valley and therefore it will not have an impact on wildlife.
However, wildlife experts accused the Deputy Forest Conservator (DYCF) and Head of Forest Conservator (CCF), Amravati, Ambigu when recommending the project in 2018.
CCF did not visit the DYCF site.
DYCF recommends a project that ignores the attention of wildlife.
Concerns expressed by MoeffcC that the proposed forest area has rare and endemic flora and fauna species called negatively by the DYCF in its report.
DYCF also hides the fact that the project falls in ESZ and the proposed forest land is part of the tiger reserve.
When recommending proposals, forest officials also ignored the fact that these linear projects require permission from the State Council for wildlife (SBWL) followed by the National Council for wildlife (NBWL) and giving ahead to projects stating that there is no wild permission.
Needed.
Official CidCo said, “We have appointed the team of experts to speed up permissions.
The revised report will be sent immediately to find the Stage-I Clearance.”
Moeffc ‘not’ for the skywalk project in Chikhaldara
