No mitigation steps in Bor corridor, deer dies in road hit

Nagpur: It is a double whammy of sorts for wildlife and the environment on Butibori-Yavatmal NH-361. Neither has the 1.25 lakh saplings planted by National Highways Authority India (NHAI) survived — resulting in huge environmental loss — nor have any mitigation measures been taken — which is causing wild animals to be killed in road hits.
On Thursday, a full-grown deer was knocked dead by a speeding vehicle near Kelzar.The spot where the animal died is close to the social forestry nursery encompassing a perennial nullah. This is also the migratory path of wild animals moving in the corridor patch between Bor and Melghat Tiger Reserve.
“The animal is suspected to have been hit early in the morning. We learnt about it at 9am. The spot where the deer died is a regular migratory path of animals,” said Hingni RFO Geeta Vaidya.
“While the NHAI did not take mitigation measures, the forest officials should also be held responsible for the mess for not demanding an underpass at the said spot when the highway was being widened,” said Jaydeep Das, former honorary wildlife warden.
On May 9, 2018, Das had written to the state’s chief wildlife warden pointing out that around 1km near Khadki-Kelzar forest nursery is an established carnivore crossing path linking Bor to Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary and Melghat. He wanted this to be kept in mind while the Butibori-Wardha road was being widened.
“Tigers have been regularly crossing this particular patch. I had urged the PCCF (wildlife) to take up the issue with NHAI for having adequate mitigation measures while proposing road development in the stretch. Now we are crying over split milk. I don’t know how many more animals will be killed,” said Das.
In July 2009, a tigress with two cubs had made a defunct explosives factory on the other side of the road at Kelzar its home. The tigress had dispersed from Bor.
According to Pench chief conservator (CCF) & field director Ravikiran Govekar, a sub-committee of the state wildlife board (SBWL) consisting of experts and user agencies including highways have taken up the issue of mitigation structures at Kelzar and another near Bazargaon on NH6, where Bor’s dominant tiger Bajirao was killed in a road hit in 2017.
“The issue should have been raised by the then forest officials when the road was being constructed,” added Govekar.
Kishor Rithe, one of the members of the committee, said, “The Samruddhi Mahamarg is running parallel to the Butibori-Wardha road and the MSRDC have agreed to take up mitigation measures on the other side of Kelzar. So it becomes imperative to construct an underpass at Kelzar for safe passage of wild animals. Earlier too there were animal deaths near the same spot.”
“Four days ago a meeting of the committee was held in which the issue was raised but NHAI officials were not present. Due to the reluctance of NHAI, mitigation measures are not in place and till then such fatal mishaps will continue to happen,” Rithe added.
Das said such mitigation steps should be included in the detailed project report (DPR) but user agencies choose to ignore wildlife and forest issues. No underpasses have been constructed between Butibori and Yavatmal for wild animals.