Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, Aaditya Thackeray, has urged the Centre to reject all proposed mining projects in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve corridor in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district for the damage they will inflict on forests as well as wildlife.
In a letter to Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, Thackeray, former Maharashtra environment minister, said the expected output from these projects is relatively low compared to the unchecked ecological damage they will inflict.
“In the first week of January, Maharashtra’s State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) approved mining projects in Lohardongari near the Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary and Marki-Mangli in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve corridor,” Thackeray said in his letter, adding that the concerns and opposition voiced by certain members of the SBWL were “unfortunately overruled by the chair”.
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Arguing that the prospective revenue that these projects is expected to generate for the state is minimal, Thackeray implored in his letter that the forests and the inhabiting wildlife be protected as per the mandate of the ministry.
“I humbly urge you to reconsider and reject these projects at the National Board for Wildlife. The future of our forests and fauna is now in your hands. I hope that my plea will not fall on deaf ears. I am certain that if you do indeed reject these projects it will cement your legacy as a major force for conservation,” he said.
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