The extent of Mrugavani National Park at Chilkur in Moinabad mandal has undergone massive revision on paper, resulting in reduction of 80 hectares.
This was revealed in a submission made by the Telangana Forest Department to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) during a hearing pertaining to extra high tension electrical lines being laid through the eco-sensitive zone of the park.
The court ordered a fresh survey of the national park which was first notified in 1998, and during the survey based on GPS coordinates, it was revealed that the extent was grossly over represented. The fresh survey concludes that the extent is only 280.29 hectares, which is 22% less than the originally notified 360 hectares.
What’s more, the Forest department has revealed that a Differential GPS survey was carried out in 2011, during which the extent of the park was ascertained as 287.48 hectares. The massive variation is attributed to the adoption of different techniques for surveying, mapping and area estimating techniques. There is no change in the boundaries from the ones described in the original notification, the department contended.
Officials informed that a letter has been addressed to the government about issuing an errata to correct the extent. However, environmentalists fume over the mismatch, and demand an explanation from the government about the same.
“Nearly one-fourth shrinkage of the national park is by no means possible due to change in technique. It requires an independent inquiry by the National Wildlife Board,” Sandeep Khurana, an ex-serviceman fighting for protection of the park contended.
Major Khurana also questions the discrepancy of 6.7 ha between 2011 and 2023, and points out the fact that the park was not even surveyed before it was carved out of the Chilkur forest block.
The NGT, which has pronounced its order on May 21, imposed a penalty of ₹50 lakh on the Transmission Corporation of Telangana for changing the design of the towers from mono poles mentioned in the project proposal to quad poles which were actually installed. The court was not satisfied with the explanation that the change, while reducing costs for the corporation, did not require alterations in requirement of forest area.
Major Khurana also questioned the change of the tower type, and sought to know if the savings by way of such change went to the government or to the contractor. “TSTransco in its filings in court admitted that the total cost for five mono pole towers was about ₹6.18 crore, while the same for quad towers is ₹1.9 crore. It’s not clear who is the beneficiary of the ₹4.28 crore difference,” he said.
The petition was filed by Donthi Narasimha Reddy and Mahesh Mamindla, about the project resulting in habitat fragmentation for the wildlife, danger to avian lives, and felling of 1,851 trees for the towers.
