BHUBANESWAR: With the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) seeking site specific information to review state’s proposal for installation of mobile towers and an Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) network in 25 buffer villages of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), a team from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) paid a visit to the protected area on Wednesday for the survey.
Sources in the state wildlife wing said that the team comprising officials of NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) visited the buffer villages of Similipal where the government is seeking to lay mobile towers and OFC network to offer 4G services.
“The team will spend two days to visit the buffer villages and return on Friday. It will review the proximity of the villages to the core boundary and submit the details to the standing committee of NBWL to take a decision whether permission should be granted for mobile towers and OFC network in these villages,” said an official from the wildlife wing.
The national board’s standing committee that rejected government’s proposal for a 4G mobile tower and OFC in the core zone of STR approved only eight out of 33 villages in the buffer area for the project.
The 25 villages including Khejuria, Kolha, Makabadi, Naana, Netraghosra, Nikhirda, Jajadihi, Rautala, Kolkjhari, Kuanribil, Saruda, Saharpat, Sankasira are located in buffer zone of the tiger reserve but are well within the boundary of Similipal wildlife sanctuary.
The NBWL standing committee even reportedly questioned the way the boundary has been demarcated to keep the villages out of core zone. Considering the proximity of these villages to the core, the committee recently sought site specific report from the NTCA prior to taking a call on state forest department’s proposal.
The committee also issued an order recently asking the chief wildlife warden of different states that the core/critical tiger habitat, notified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, should be avoided for installation of mobile towers.