Siliguri, Feb.
20, 2006: Earlier, the proposed East-West corridor route would have
passed across the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary, Chapramari wildlife
sanctuary, Jaldapara wildlife sanctuary and the forests of Mongpong.
Also, the Gorumara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve would have
been affected by the construction of this route.
This would have caused a considerable loss of forest which amounted
approximately to 2,000 hectares and the wildlife would have felt
the adverse affects of this damage.However, there is good news
for the people of North Bengal; owing to the writ petition filed
by the residents of Dooars in March 2003 in the Supreme Court
for an alternative route, it has directed for the route to be
changed. Now, the new route will bypass the dense forests of Dooars
leaving it untouched and will come near to Siliguri, passing through
Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Mainaguri, Dhupguri etc.
The route that connects Gangtok to Siliguri will lie across the
north of the city along the NH 31A. Unfortunately, the destruction
of forests in the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary near Siliguri could
not be avoided and NHAI officials cite that there are no alternatives.
The east-west corridor is part of an ambitious plan under the
Pradhan Mantri Rajmarg Yojna with the objective of connecting
the easternmost part of India to the far west portion of the country.
It will run from Porbander in the west to Silchar in the east.
But such huge plans for development are not without the cost
of incurring damage to the ecology of the region. Environmental
activist are concerned that just like the Teesta Hydel Project
caused many adverse affects to the ecology of the region this
project will cause similar damages. We cannot aim to make progress
at the cost of polluting and degrading the environment we live
in, and all efforts should be made to protect the rich bio-diversity
of the region while making plans for development. |
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