Environment Ministry's no to mobile towers in core tiger zones
In order to keep inviolate spaces for tigers, the Union Environment Ministry has clarified that no mobile towers will be installed in the core zones of a tiger reserve.
The clarification comes in the wake of six proposals by Arunachal Pradesh that sought clearance from the ministry to install 4G mobile towers in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve located on the India-Myanmar border.
The core area of a tiger reserve is a dense forest that is cut-off from human contact, and human activities are not permitted.
Similar proposals from the Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and the Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra were turned down.
According to the minutes of the meeting of the wildlife clearance panel of the ministry, these proposals were initially shot down by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory authority under the ministry.
“The Namdapha Tiger Reserve lies on the India-Myanmar border and the villages Vijaynagar and Namdapha have road connectivity through Namdapha Tiger Reserve only. This is the only road connecting these villages. After discussions, the Standing Committee noted that these projects are proposed to be situated near the international border and no other alternative means of communication is available along this road, which invokes special considerations. The Standing Committee therefore decided to approve these six proposals for the use of 0.0225 ha of forest land each in the core zone of Namdapha Tiger Reserve for installation of mobile towers,” the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife said.
“This approval shall not be treated as a precedence for proposals for installation of 4G mobile towers in core zones of the tiger reserves,” it added.
The panel also directed the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department to ensure that the mobile towers are erected with precaution so as not to obstruct flight path of birds, and also not increase the combined radiations from all towers in the area.
