Govt panel clears Rs 1,169 cr Punjab road project

A government panel headed by Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das today cleared one road project in Punjab worth Rs 1,169 crore.
"The Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) met here today and cleared one road project in the State of Punjab with an estimated project cost of Rs 1,169.61 crore," a finance ministry statement said.
The PPP projects implemented by Infrastructure Ministries and Departments of Central Government are cleared by institutional mechanisms.
The report said Panna Tiger Reserve has largely been
valued with respect to the requirement of the tiger.
"The importance of other key wildlife such as sloth bear, leopard, rusty spotted cat, hyena, sambhar, chital, four-horned antelope and chinkara are largely ignored under the shadow of tiger, although tiger conservation may support the conservation of its associated fauna. Ken river along with its tributary is a lifeline of the park. Ken river basin is full of gorges, caves, rock crevices which are normally occupied by wild mammals for breeding and resting.

"During hot days in summer, these gorges, caves, rock crevices are major shelters for some of the animals listed above. Loss of breeding sites will be irreversible after submergence of these critical and specialised habitats, specifically in the major submergence zone," it said.

The blasting of stone quarries, use of heavy machinery, movement of heavy vehicles and presence of over 500 workers (at a time) for construction are some of the "major concerns", the report said.
"Given that the region (Bundelkhand) is poverty-ridden, the realised benefit of the project cannot be ignored and that there would certainly be a need to strike a balance between wildlife conservation and people's livelihood considerations," it said.

The estimated cost of Ken-Betwa project is Rs 9,393 crore.