The latest report on proposed mitigation measures for maintaining habitat contiguity and reducing wild animal mortality between Mansar-Khawasa (37km) on NH-7 and Marhamjob-Mundipaar on NH6 submitted by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is not acceptable to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

A senior NHAI official told TOI on Monday that WII-NTCA report was against the high court orders. Following the directive from Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on January 8, 2015, a meeting was held in Pune on February 13 under chief minister DevendraFadnavis, union highways minister Nitin Gadkari and environment minister Prakash Javadekar who asked WII & NTCA to conduct a resurvey of NH-7 & NH-6 and identify four locations for three to four 50-metre-long underpasses. These underpasses were suggested by the NHAI in Pune meeting.

"The latest WII-NTCA report is against the ministers' directive suggesting 50-metre-long underpasses only. Instead the report has reduced the length of underpasses to 750 metres from one km earlier. These are not acceptable to us," said a NHAI official.

"The new wildlife mitigation measures would cost NHAI Rs292 crores on NH-7. We are ready to spend Rs122 crore. The balance of Rs170 crore should be contributed by the MoEFCC under funds from CAMPA. There is no point in delaying the project," said NHAI officials. This is the third report on wildlife mitigation measures rejected by the NHAI. The first report was submitted by nation's two apex wildlife institutes under the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) in 2012.

In 2012, the WII had recommended 10 additional underpasses 60 to 2,000 metres wide and 7 metres high in vulnerable forest patches. The report was modified in January 2015 by a state-level committee owing to cost concerns. The committee consisting of NHAI, WII and forest officials reduced the length of underpasses to one km. The height of all proposed structures that was initially 7 metres was also reduced to 4.5-5 metres.

The revision brought down cost to Rs344.84 crore from Rs750 crore earliker. However, additional burden on NHAI for implementing these measures was only Rs244.84 crores as highway upgradation would cost Rs100 crore without mitigation. Even this was not acceptable to the NHAI and hence it sought further modification.

THE 50 METRES MUDDLE

* Nov 2012: WII said yes to all 38 animal crossings suggested by NHAI (six underpasses, 15 bridges & 17 box/pipe/slab culverts). However, WII recommended the height of the underpasses and bridges should not be less than 7 metres. Most of these structures were existing bridges, drainage channels. In addition, WII recommended 10 underpasses based on a site inspection. These underpasses were recommended to be of widths 60, 100, 2000, 300, 200, 2000 and 500 metres and 7 metres high. Cost was Rs750 crore

* Jan 2015: A committee revised height of all underpasses to 4.5-5 metres. Widths of three underpasses initially measuring 100m was revised to 60, 50 and 80 metres with provision for approaches and guide walls. The width of 2,000 metres underpass was cut to 1,000 metres. The width of one 300 metres underpass remained unchanged. NHAI's rough estimate for revised mitigation was Rs344.84 crore. The additional burden to implement these measures would be only Rs244.84 crores as NHAI was already spending Rs100 crore without any mitigation.

* June 2015: The WII-NTCA suggest nine structures between Khawasa-Mansar. It includes five underpasses of 50, 300, 100 and two 750 metres width widening four bridges by 50-80 metres. WII-NTCA say it will further reduce cost by Rs50 crore. NHAI says this too is unacceptable.