Tiger corridor delays mining project in M’rashtra; ball in Centre’s court
During a recent meeting of the environment ministry’s wildlife board, top officials lamented over the delay in mining projects in forests due to the declaration of tiger corridors.
The Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) recently discussed whether to give wildlife clearance to the contentious coal mining project proposed in a tiger corridor connecting Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Kanhargoan Wildlife Sanctuary and Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra.
Western Coalfields Ltd had sought wildlife clearance to utilise 80.77 hectares of the forest land to extract eight metric tonnes of coal. However, the coal reserves are in the tiger corridor. The company extracted 7.20 metric tonnes during 2005-2013 and plans to extract 8 metric tonnes more.
The contentious project
The contentious coal mining project is proposed in a tiger corridor in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. Over 25-30 tigers move in the proposed mining area
Though the project was cleared by the Maharashtra Government in August 2024, the Centre’s clearance is mandated under the Wildlife Protection Act
According to sources in the ministry, over 25-30 tigers move in the proposed mining area. The 2011 estimates by the Wildlife Institute of India said there were between 66 and 74 tigers in the Chandrapur landscape. The proposal was cleared by the Maharashtra Government in August 2024. However, since the project area falls in the tiger corridor, the Centre’s clearance is mandated under the Wildlife Protection Act.
According to the minutes of the meeting, NBWL member Prof R Sukumar mentioned that the designation of tiger corridors based on the movement of one tiger may cause a lot of confusion in future.
“In Madhya Pradesh, vast areas have been designated as tiger corridors. There would be a lot of problems in the future. Many of these pathways have been designated based on the movement of one tiger,” he said.
The fate of the coal mining project will now be decided in a review meeting conducted by the environment ministry’s secretary and top officials. The ministry recently created a separate category on its portal to fast-track clearances for the mining of critical minerals. Mining is classified as a non-forestry activity, and its impact on forests and wildlife is assessed before the ministry grants approval.
India