Gandhinagar: The Gujarat forest department has sent a letter to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, urging them to refrain from commencing the Junagadh-Visavadar gauge conversion project without obtaining approvals from the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) and the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).

The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MOEFCC) of the state has conveyed that the project requires wildlife clearances due to its location within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary.

The official correspondence emphasizes that initiating work without the necessary approvals would violate the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and the Environment Protection Act of 1986, particularly Article 19.

Regarding the matter, an unnamed railway official mentioned that since no land acquisition was involved, they believed that no approval was required and only clearance from the department was needed.

On the other hand, a senior government officer stated that as per the revised guideline circulated in February, project proponents, including Indian Railways and its subsidiaries, must obtain permission from both the MOEFCC and the NBWL standing committee before engaging in activities within an eco-sensitive zone or within a 10km zone of the boundary of national parks/wildlife sanctuaries, if an eco-sensitive zone had not been officially notified.

This guideline, outlined in Para A, specifically applies to construction and related activities conducted by Indian Railways and its subsidiaries/sister concerns.

This letter comes as RNVL released a tender for the conversion of a metre-gauge line between Junagadh and Visavadar in July. This proposal, which extends from Junagadh to Toraniya, Bilkha, and Visavadar, has raised alarms due to its proximity to the Girnar sanctuary and its passage through an eco-sensitive zone adjacent to the sanctuary, known for its considerable lion population.DeshGujarat