Around 93% or 99 out of the 107 development and infrastructure-related projects placed before the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) were approved in its latest meeting in Coimbatore on July 9, keeping in line with a trend in recent years where approval rates for projects in wildlife reserves, sanctuaries and notified forest land remain unusually high.
Data from the minutes of meeting, the 91st of SC-NBWL, made available recently, showed that while no project was outrightly rejected, the Committee deferred four proposals, returned two back to the states – for a state-level clearance -- and kept two others in abeyance, until the Supreme Court cleared them.
HT, on July 12, reported how over the last decade, since 2016, SC-NBWL approved 96.5% of development-related projects it considered.
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A scrutiny of data available online showed that across the 52 meetings held since 2016, 2,448 development proposals were placed before the committee: of this 572 were deferred, and of the 1,876 considered, 1,810 were cleared and 66 rejected.
The decade-long data assessment showed consistently high approval rates. In 2018, 2021, and the first meeting of 2026, every proposal considered was approved — none were rejected. Even in 2020, when the committee recorded its lowest approval rate, it cleared 82 of the 92 projects considered — an approval rate of about 89%.
Development projects recommended by SC-NBWL
{{/usCountry}}The decade-long data assessment showed consistently high approval rates. In 2018, 2021, and the first meeting of 2026, every proposal considered was approved — none were rejected. Even in 2020, when the committee recorded its lowest approval rate, it cleared 82 of the 92 projects considered — an approval rate of about 89%.
Development projects recommended by SC-NBWL
{{/usCountry}}In its latest meeting, development projects recommended by SC-NBWL for approval, span those in tiger reserves including the Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) tiger reserve, Palamau tiger reserve, Ranthambore, Buxa, Mukundara, Srivilliputhur Megamala, Pilibhit and Melghat; eco-sensitive zones , including the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Karnala Bird Sanctuary; and wildlife sanctuaries including Cauvery, Sharavathi Valley LTM, Someshwara and the Dadra & Nagar Haveli sanctuaries.
The proposals approved include using 0.234 hectares (ha) forest land from core area of BRT Tiger Reserve for providing Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to 139 households; 0.10 ha of forest land from core area of BRT tiger reserve for providing FHTCs to 146 households; 411.48 ha of forest land from the tiger corridor in Satna and Panna to establish the Panari Standalone pump Storage Project (1800 MW); using 5.32 ha including the buffer and Eco-Sensitive Zone of Melghat Tiger Reserve for upgradation of roads; and using 18.462 hectares from Satpura-Melghat Tiger Corridor for construction of a railway line.
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Projects cleared
The projects cleared, included a special case, a proposal to use 2.18 hectares of forest land from Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary for a road connecting to National Highway-16.
“The Standing Committee observed that the proposed road is a new road running along the periphery of Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary and noted that, as a general principle, construction of new roads within a wildlife sanctuary is not permissible. However, considering the peripheral location of road and the larger public interest involved, the committee decided to recommend the proposal as a special case,” the minutes state.
Criticism of NBWL's functioning by experts
The functioning of both the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) and its standing committee has come under criticism by experts, with a petition filed before the Delhi high court by 10 conservationists and activists last week claiming the SC-NBWL was “recklessly clearing projects” at a high approval rate.
In response, the high court pulled up the Centre on July 8 for “treating every statutory body as an extension of the government’s arm.” A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia sought a response from the government in four weeks’ time.
“…If what the (petitioners’ lawyer) says is correct…see the composition of the Board… highest level functionaries of the country are members, and if the (Wildlife Act provisions) says Standing committee will be constituted by the Board, not the government, can’t you differentiate simply between a statutory board and the functions of the government?” CJ Upadhyaya had said.
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SC-NBWL is headed by the Union environment minister, with the additional director general of forests (Wildlife) as its member secretary, and also includes the secretary, environment, and the Director General of Forests & Special Secretary (DGF&SS), among other members and experts.
An environment ministry official said SC-NBWL recommends the proposals as per the section 29 of the Wildlife Act, with chief wildlife wardens having the authority to allow such projects, in consultation with the state government and SC-NBWL.
“The SC-NBWL takes a view on ecological consideration with the views of NTCA, Wildlife Institute of India and experts in the committee. The proposal falling outside the PAs in ESZ are also considered in the SC-NBWL which do not actually fall in forest area or PA most of the time,” said the official, adding that the number of proposals have gone up due to an increase in infra projects across the country in the last decade.
“Therefore, the frequency and number of proposals specially related to defence proposal and proposals of linear infra such as rail, road and power lines have gone up. Thus the interpretation being made is very lopsided,” the official said.