The blood on our railway tracks

Tracks and roads penetrating wildlife habitats are soaked with blood because of the push for reckless development through intensified linear infrastructure. At the core of the problem is the mindset behind driving 'development'. Despite the bouquet of norms under Wildlife Protection Act and Forest Conservation Act that provide for minimising the impact on critical wildlife habitats through mitigation measures, project proponents are unwilling to acknowledge the need for it. The environment impact assessment and conservation plans are scarcely implemented in the right spirit, and there hardly exists any mechanism to ensure its compliance. The environmental ministry is constantly under pressure to process development and infrastructure projects at a rapid pace. Clearing hindrances for such projects is what drives successive governments and at what great cost! The first-ever dedicated wildlife underpass created along NH 44 in Madhya Pradesh took 10 years and a prolonged legal battle to secure the 'right of passage' to wildlife. In his first term as prime minister, Narendra Modi had told an international tiger forum that there is a strong need to define conservation as a means to achieve development and all it required was to re-orient strategies. It is about time to put those words into action. Remember, in the heart of forests, the right of way belongs to the wildlife first. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The New Indian Expresshttps://euro-math-soc.eu/users/jumenshenses