Assam: 51 ha of Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary in Guwahati Ring Road Project

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The construction of the proposed 121-km Guwahati Ring Road will entail the use of forest and non-forest land in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary, situated on the outskirts of Guwahati city. The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 5,729 crore, was approved by the Union Cabinet on Friday (August 2, 2024).

The Guwahati Ring Road will be constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The proposed road, including a bridge over the Brahmaputra, will run from Baihata Chariali via Kuruwa and Chandrapur to Sonapur. During the alignment of the road, a portion of land within Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary had to be included, along with the land in the ESZ.

The use of the forest land in the construction of the Ring Road has been accorded approval by the National Board for Wildlife under the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change. Although approval was given by the board, several conditions have been laid down.

According to the proposal by NHAI, the use of 7.12 hectares (ha) of forest land in Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary and 44.60 ha of non-forest land in ESZ of Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary will be used for construction of the Guwahati Ring Road, including a bridge over the Brahmaputra River (Northern Bypass from Baihata to Sonapur) and the widening of the existing NH-27 from Basistha to Jorabat section.

During the meeting of the National Board for Wildlife, the Standing Committee was informed that the proposal is for the use of 7.12 ha of forest land in Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary and 44.60 ha of non-forest land in ESZ of Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary for the construction of Guwahati Ring Road. The proposal has been recommended by the Chief Wild Life Warden, the State Board for Wild Life, and the state government. The animal passage plan has been prepared in consultation with the state Forest Department, scientists of the Wildlife Institute of India, and the User Agency and submitted along with the proposal. The animal passage plan includes two underpasses of over 200 m span, one bridge of over 150 m in span and height of 8 m, and nine box culverts. A slight change has also been made in the alignment.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Forces (HoFF), Assam, informed the board that about 800 m of road length would pass about 50 m inside the Sanctuary. The Wildlife Institute of India suggested a change in the alignment so that the road passes along the boundary to ensure protection for the sanctuary. There are a lot of settlements on the other side of the road. Therefore, the road would provide protection from encroachments into the sanctuary. Due to the height proposed for the animal passage structures, there won’t be a tunnel effect for the elephants, it was stressed.

After a discussion on the subject of animal passage structures, the Standing Committee decided to recommend the proposal with the following conditions:

1. A comprehensive study shall have to be conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) or any other relevant agency to assess the potential impact of the project, particularly on the movement paths of elephants and other mitigation measures.

2. The widening of the existing NH-27 from Basistha to Jorabat section shall integrate the construction of at least 4 km of elevated road from Jorabat towards Sonapur in order to restore the traditional elephant corridor connecting Amchang WLS with Marakdola Reserve Forest (RF) and Aprikola RF and beyond.

3. No adverse impact shall be caused to wild animals or their habitat.

4. Minimal tree felling shall be resorted to in the forest land.

5. No construction activities shall be carried out between sunset and sunrise within the protected area.

6. Two percent of the project cost shall be deposited as a corpus fund for the purpose of human elephant conflict (HEC) mitigation and conservation of wildlife to be used by the CWLW to implement the HEC Mitigation Plan & Wildlife Conservation Plan.

7. The HEC Mitigation Plan and Wildlife Conservation Plan shall be submitted within two (2) months after the deposition of the above-mentioned amount by the user agency.

8. The animal passage plan prepared and submitted with the proposal shall be implemented in totality.

9. An annual compliance certificate on the stipulated conditions shall be submitted by the User Agency to the State Chief Wild Life Warden.

 Also Read: Union Cabinet approves Rs 5,729 crore for Guwahati Ring Road Project (sentinelassam.com)

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