Wildlife Panel Clears 13 Defence Projects In Ladakh And Arunachal With Strict Eco Safeguards

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The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) has cleared 13 defence projects in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. The projects were approved during the committee’s 86th meeting, held recently, with a clear emphasis on protecting the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.

The proposal was submitted by the Ministry of Defence, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). It includes new border outposts, a brigade headquarters, ammunition storage and training facilities and bridge and culvert works.

While granting permission, the NBWL imposed strict environmental safeguards to ensure minimal ecological disruption in these sensitive areas.

Project In Arunachal’s Elephant Corridor Gets Green Light

One of the cleared proposals involves the use of 0.37 hectares of the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. The land will be used to construct a 158-metre-long permanent bridge on the Balipara–Charduar–Tawang road, under Project Vartak.

This region is recognised globally as a biodiversity hotspot and serves as an important elephant corridor. The clearance was granted along with a mitigation plan that requires construction to be carried out only during daylight hours, along with speed limits, and strict waste and noise control measures.

Major Defence Approvals In Ladakh’s Protected Areas

In Ladakh, several major projects were approved within the Changthang Cold Desert and Karakoram (Nubra–Shayok) Wildlife Sanctuaries. These include a 315 Field Workshop Company at Chushul, spread across 3.7 hectares, to support the 142 Infantry Brigade near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The panel also cleared a Formation Ammunition Storage Facility (FASF) at Tsogtsalu, covering 24.2 hectares, and another FASF of 47.1 hectares at KM-47 in the Karakoram Sanctuary. A Training Node Area of 48.6 hectares at Tara, located around 15,500 feet above sea level, was also approved to help troops undergo realistic high-altitude tactical training.

Additionally, the committee sanctioned the use of 40 hectares at Chushul for establishing a Brigade Headquarters for the 142 Infantry Brigade, along with supporting units.

Among other clearances were an artillery battery on 9.46 hectares at KM-148 and an Army camp on 8.16 hectares at KM-120, both inside the Karakoram Sanctuary. The committee also approved three new ITBP border outposts at Quazi Langer, Bopsang Lungpa, and KM-156, each occupying about 1.62 hectares, as well as a transit detachment on 0.1 hectares at KM-80.

A small hume pipe culvert near Mudh, close to the Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground, was also cleared to improve troop and supply movement across the Indus river.

During the discussions, ecologist R. Sukumar cautioned against setting up defence facilities too close to marshes, riverbanks, or narrow valleys that are vulnerable to flash floods and avalanches. The committee noted his recommendations and directed that these precautionary measures be integrated into all mitigation plans.

The committee emphasised that while these projects are vital for national security and border management, they must be implemented with minimal ecological disturbance.

It underlined that every approved project in the Himalayan landscape must follow strict environmental standards, ensuring a balance between defence preparedness and the protection of biodiversity in one of the world’s most sensitive ecosystems.

(With PTI inputs)