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Wildlife Board Backs 13 Defence Projects in Ladakh and Arunachal With Strict Safeguards

The move ties new high‑altitude military facilities to binding mitigation in ecologically sensitive sanctuaries.

Overview

  • The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life, in minutes of its 86th meeting, recommended 13 defence and paramilitary works proposed by the Defence Ministry, ITBP and BRO.
  • Use of 0.37 hectare in the eco‑sensitive zone of Arunachal’s Eaglenest Sanctuary was cleared for a 158‑metre bridge under Project Vartak with daylight‑only construction, speed controls, waste and noise management, and reduced night traffic during peak elephant movement hours.
  • The panel approved major Ladakh facilities including 40 hectares at Chushul for a Brigade Headquarters and 3.7 hectares for a 315 Field Workshop Company supporting the 142 Infantry Brigade near the LAC.
  • Formation Ammunition Storage Facilities were cleared at Tsogtsalu (24.2 ha) and KM‑47 (47.1 ha), alongside a 48.6‑hectare Training Node at Tara around 15,500 feet for realistic high‑altitude preparation.
  • Additional works include an artillery battery at KM‑148, an Army camp at KM‑120, three ITBP border outposts at Quazi Langer, Bopsang Lungpa and KM‑156, a transit detachment at KM‑80, and a small hume pipe culvert near Nyoma, with expert guidance to avoid marshes, riverbanks and narrow avalanche‑prone valleys built into mitigation plans.