NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s empowered Wildlife Clearance Committee has approved the diversion of 411.48 hectares of forest land in the Panna–Ranipur Tiger Corridor for the 1,800 MW Panari Standalone Pump Storage Project in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna and Panna districts.
The project site lies within the corridor, which connects the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh with the Ranipur Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh. It involves the construction of two reservoirs, with the lower reservoir proposed across a seasonal tributary of the Baghain Nadi.
The area forms part of an ecologically sensitive tiger landscape that supports the movement of tigers, leopards, dholes, wolves, sloth bears, gaurs, sambars and chitals. The project also overlaps with identified satellite core areas and a Level-I wildlife corridor under the Integrated Landscape Management Plan for the Greater Panna Landscape.
Telemetry data indicates that dispersing tigers actively use the adjoining southern forest stretch. The committee noted that wildlife movement in the corridor has already been affected by the existing Panna–Kaliger State Highway, which passes through the area.
The proposal, received in January 2026, was examined by an inspection committee comprising representatives of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh. The committee also sought separate opinions from the three institutions.
The WII Director said the project would affect habitat connectivity and recommended several mitigation measures. These include shifting the road between the eastern muck disposal area and the dam towards the upper reservoir, constructing wildlife underpasses and box culverts beneath all project roads, and building three wildlife overpasses across the Baghain Nala.
NTCA members said the project had the potential to contribute to green energy generation while improving the area’s water regime. The Chief Wildlife Warden said the proposal had been recommended by the State Board for Wildlife and was backed by a wildlife conservation plan worth `41 crore and a Catchment Area Treatment plan worth `49.95 crore.
The committee imposed a series of conditions on project proponent Sri Siddharth Infratech and Services Pvt Ltd.
Committee imposes restrictions on project promoter
The committee imposed a series of conditions on project proponent Sri Siddharth Infratech and Services Pvt Ltd. These include construction of the wildlife overpasses, ensuring no damage to forests, wildlife or their habitats, prohibiting construction activity at night, and implementing measures for the conservation of flora and fauna in the corridor in accordance with the approved conservation plan.