From the infrastructure for a forward aviation base, the facilities for missiles and the line of actual control, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has approved proposals for important defense projects with the border with China, which has been extended from East Ladakh to Sikkim to Sikkim.
It has also approved the construction of the Arunachal Frontier Highway close to the border of Myanmar, for mitigation measures to reduce the impact on wildlife and their houses through the main area of Namdaf Tiger Reserve. The project will turn 310 hectares of forest from Tiger Reserve – the members of the committee have noted that it will also cause a fall of the tree.
One of the most important projects approved, there was a 10.26 km road link between Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) for the Border personnel ‘meeting (BPM) hut, where senior Indian and Chinese army officials meet to discuss border issues. At an altitude of 17,000 feet, DBO is the northern military post in the country, where the most airstrip is also located. Last October, SC-NBWL approved an alternative route for DBO for quick movement of soldiers and resources.
The Ministry of Defense had told the Wildlife Board Panel that there is no road between DBO and the old BPM Hut, which is often repeated by the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel. “On the other hand, the Chinese side is constructing a solid road between TWD (our side DBO to DBO) for the Chinese temporary meeting point of width of 9–18 meters,” it said.
SC-NBWL, in its meeting on 26 June, protected more than 26 defense and infrastructure projects-26 located in Ladakh and approved the show minutes.
The meeting was chaired by Bhupendra Yadav, who was the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Projects require wildlife withdrawal as they are located in Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary in Ladakh and Changthang Cold Desert Sanctuary, Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh and Pangolkha Sanctuary in Sikkim.
The Karkoram Sanctuary is the home of Tibetan antelope, Shapo, wild yak, India, snow leopard, Himalayan Gray Wolf, Links and Marmot. Dibang Sanctuary is the leopard and tiger home, while the Asian black bears live in the Pangolkha Sanctuary among other organisms.
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Other important projects have been approved, including the Artillery Regiment and the residence soldiers of a field hospital; Housing soldiers for reconnaissance and observation flight and catch helicopters; Construction of aviation infrastructure for a forward aviation base in Shyok and the construction of technical infrastructure to detect missile equipment from short distance surface.
The Ministry of Defense said in its proposal that it would be important for approval for housing soldiers engaged in reconnaissance and observation flights and holding helicopters in Partapur.
The missile unit facility will include a command and control for operational activities, shelter and training space for soldiers.
For infrastructure with LAC in the north-east, the Wildlife Board Panel cleaned more than 121 hectares of 121 hectares of forest land in Anini One Division. SC-NBWL said the project has to include an animal road plan, which is to reduce the impact of the project. A road project was proposed to strengthen security infrastructure along with China’s border.
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In Sikkim, a border outpost and sage-cup-up road improvement at Pangola in Pakong district has been approved, subject to mitigation measures such as animal road plans. Under the Project Swastik, the Border Rhodes Organization has proposed to improve the Rishi-Rongali-Kuppuo road for the National Highway Double-Len Special.
Sanctuary (T) Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary (T) Forward Aviation Base (T) Missile Unit Facility (T) Siachen Glacier Operations (T) Project Swastik (T) Border Rhodes Organization (T) Indian Express
