The operation of the Idukki airstrip of the National Cadet Corps (NCC), which the Chief Minister is scheduled to inaugurate soon, can have an adverse impact on the wildlife of the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) besides leading to destruction of the forest ecosystem, cautions the Forest department
The department has flagged its concerns regarding the impact of the airstrip and the operation of aircraft on the wildlife and ecology of the reserve in a reply to the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The holding, where the airstrip has come up, is hardly half a kilometre from the boundary of the PTR. It will come well within the regime of the eco-sensitive zone of the reserve. Construction activities for the airstrip could also come in conflict with the provisions of the notification, it is pointed out.
The operation of aircraft and hot air balloons is banned over eco-sensitive zones of protected areas. Given its location, planes using the airstrip will have to fly over the reserve. The airstrip has come up without obtaining the statutory clearances, according to the Department.
Though rules mandate that environmental impact assessment is required for all airport projects, there is no information that the NCC or the Public Works Department, which carried out construction at the site, has carried out such studies. Both the agencies are of the stance that no such studies are required, the Forest department points out.
The clearance of the National Board for Wildlife is required for such projects. However, no agency has so far approached the department for such permission.
The Chief Minister had included the inauguration of the airstrip in the projects that are to be rolled out in the State in 100 days.
The area where the airstrip has come up is of high ecological and biodiversity significance. The PTR is one of the 39 serial sites of the Western Ghats, which Unesco had notified as a World Heritage Site, the department says.
