In the past, we’ve heard tragic stories of elephants being hit by trains while crossing those tracks that were originally their land. And, it’s high time we all realise that this planet belongs to the wildlife, as much as it belongs to us.
Surely, development is a sign a progress for any state/country but, when it comes in the way of a natural habitat of a living being it definitely needs to reconsidered, and that’s exactly what the Jharkhand government has done.
In a bid to save crucial wildlife in the country, Jharkhand has decided to push back the proposal for an airport with concerns over disturbing elephant habitat.
The proposal for building Dhalbhumgarh airport has been put on hold as the project sought nearly 100 hectares of land from the forest lands that serve as a corridor for elephants migrating between Jharkhand and the neighbouring state of West Bengal.
An expert panel of the Indian government’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said that if they go ahead with the project, it could increase human-elephant conflict in the area. Furthermore, it has sought information for reconsidering the proposal.
According to reports, the total land required for the construction of the airport was 97.166 hectares, out of which, 96.761 hectares is reserved forest land.
There were 79,332 trees sought in the forest area and the estimated cost for the development of the airport was about ₹100 crores.