Guwahati: Plans to widen National Highway 127B in Meghalaya under the Bharatmala Pariyojana involve diverting 35 hectares of deemed forest and felling an estimated 4,500 trees in the Garo hills, raising critical concerns about biodiversity loss and local impact, including jeopardized rare wildlife and disrupted livelihoods, according to a report.
The report indicates that the highway connecting Srirampur in Assam to Nongstoin in Meghalaya will see a 36.635 km stretch upgraded to two lanes with paved shoulders.
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While the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s advisory committee has granted “in-principle” approval for the diversion of reserved and deemed forest, environmentalists and locals fear the ecological cost.
The report pointed out that the affected area is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including barking deer, leopard, wild boar, fox, mongoose, monitor lizard, Malayan giant squirrel, and jungle fowl.
The extensive tree felling required for the project directly threatens these species and their habitats.
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This highway expansion comes amidst a broader crisis of deforestation in Meghalaya. Rampant timber logging has already devastated vast tracts of forests, leading to significant biodiversity loss and depletion of water resources.
A recent study cited a drastic decline in dense forest areas in East Khasi Hills, shrinking from 1,480 sq km to 828 sq km between 2002 and 2013 due to extensive deforestation, logging, and land conversion.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has recently delivered a landmark ruling against retrospective or ex-post facto environmental clearances for projects, including those involving forest clearing.
The apex court termed such clearances a “gross illegality,” stating that development must not compromise environmental protection and no project should proceed without prior environmental clearance.
The court invalidated previous office memorandums and notifications that permitted these retrospective approvals, effectively closing a legal loophole that allowed projects to commence without proper environmental assessment.
This ruling prevents the government from granting environmental clearances for projects that have already begun without prior approval.
While it remains unclear if the specific highway project in the Garo Hills district falls under the purview of this judgment, the ruling holds significant implications for all future forest clearing endeavors.
Projects involving forest land are now unequivocally required to undergo proper environmental assessments and secure clearances before any work commences.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court has also explicitly restrained the government from issuing similar notifications or orders that would regularize acts violating the Environment Impact Assessment notification of 2006.