<p>Streams flow silently through the forests of the Kali Valley, where wildlife – once pushed to the margins – is slowly reclaiming its space, and the roar of the tiger is now heard once again. This recovery is not a one-day miracle, but the result of decades of sustained effort by the State Forest Department, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, local communities, and conservationists. The land is healing, patiently and quietly.</p>.<p>Yet, just as this fragile balance begins to return, a new disturbance is being proposed. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has sought diversion of forest land to restart a stone quarry and build an approach road to source construction material for the Kaiga project. At first glance, this may seem routine. But it is not. The proposed quarry lies within the eco-sensitive zone of the Kali Tiger Reserve, where quarrying is prohibited.</p>.<p>What makes the situation more unsettling is the position taken by the regional office of the MoEF&CC in Bengaluru. Its inspection report acknowledges the ecological sensitivity of the site and recognises the forest as a functioning ecosystem. It also makes a stark observation: quarrying would damage the entire ecology of the Western Ghats. Yet, the proposal has been recommended, citing the “strategic importance” of the project.</p>.Who guards the forests?.<p>This contradiction raises a fundamental question about how such decisions are being weighed.</p>.<p>The forest proposed for diversion is part of a connected landscape that enables the free movement of large mammals like tigers. The 2022 All-India Tiger Monitoring Exercise has recorded unique tiger individuals here, underscoring its role as a corridor. Fragment this continuity, and the impact will be lasting.</p>.<p>These forests perform essential ecological functions. In a high-rainfall region, they stabilise slopes, prevent erosion, and regulate water flow. Disturbance through blasting and excavation weakens this system, increasing the risks of landslides and soil loss. Their hydrological role is equally critical. The forested catchment feeds water bodies such as the Kadra Reservoir nearby, where healthy forests help maintain water quality and reduce siltation. Quarrying in such areas risks sediment runoff and long-term degradation of these water systems. It is also not an isolated activity – it brings roads, machinery, noise, and human presence, fragmenting habitats and disrupting wildlife movement.</p>.<p>The history of the site adds to the concern. The quarry lease dates back to 1994 and expired in 1999, yet the land was never restored.</p>.<p>The Ministry’s headquarters has sought clarifications on several points: why the quarry and approach road have been proposed separately, whether an approach road has already been constructed on forest land without prior approval, and why the land was not resumed after the lease expired. The Ministry has also asked whether the site falls within ecologically sensitive areas of the Western Ghats, including the eco-<br>sensitive zone of the Kali <br>Tiger Reserve.</p>.<p>There is also a clear policy inconsistency. When the Kaiga Units 5 and 6 project was approved by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife in 2019, it came with conditions, including a prohibition on sourcing construction material from adjoining forest land. The present proposal goes against that safeguard.</p>.<p>Risks from gains</p>.<p>It is difficult to ignore the irony that while the people of the Kali valley have long borne the cost of dams, reservoirs, and power projects, they continue to be denied basic facilities such as roads, electricity, bridges, and <br>mobile connectivity, often on the grounds of protecting wildlife and complying with safeguards. If such laws can be enforced so strictly in denying basic rights, one can only hope they will be applied with equal sincerity to ecologically unsustainable activities like quarrying.</p>.<p>The importance of the Kaiga project – a key part of India’s energy infrastructure – is not in question. But for that reason, the stability of its surrounding environment becomes more critical. This was recognised during the “Samaya Rekha 2025” disaster preparedness exercise at Kaiga, where experts examined risks such as landslides, extreme rainfall, and emergency scenarios.</p>.<p>NPCIL has, to its credit, supported wildlife conservation through CSR funding and wildlife mitigation plans in and around the project landscape, including the Kali Tiger Reserve and the Karwar and Yellapur forest divisions – efforts that are widely appreciated. In the same spirit, sourcing construction material from outside sensitive wildlife areas would better align with these efforts.</p>.<p>The real question is not development versus conservation, but whether we are willing to wound a healing forest for short-term gain and silence the tiger’s roar just as it begins to return.</p>.<p><em>(The writer is a wildlife conservationist)</em></p><p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
<p>Streams flow silently through the forests of the Kali Valley, where wildlife – once pushed to the margins – is slowly reclaiming its space, and the roar of the tiger is now heard once again. This recovery is not a one-day miracle, but the result of decades of sustained effort by the State Forest Department, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, local communities, and conservationists. The land is healing, patiently and quietly.</p>.<p>Yet, just as this fragile balance begins to return, a new disturbance is being proposed. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has sought diversion of forest land to restart a stone quarry and build an approach road to source construction material for the Kaiga project. At first glance, this may seem routine. But it is not. The proposed quarry lies within the eco-sensitive zone of the Kali Tiger Reserve, where quarrying is prohibited.</p>.<p>What makes the situation more unsettling is the position taken by the regional office of the MoEF&CC in Bengaluru. Its inspection report acknowledges the ecological sensitivity of the site and recognises the forest as a functioning ecosystem. It also makes a stark observation: quarrying would damage the entire ecology of the Western Ghats. Yet, the proposal has been recommended, citing the “strategic importance” of the project.</p>.Who guards the forests?.<p>This contradiction raises a fundamental question about how such decisions are being weighed.</p>.<p>The forest proposed for diversion is part of a connected landscape that enables the free movement of large mammals like tigers. The 2022 All-India Tiger Monitoring Exercise has recorded unique tiger individuals here, underscoring its role as a corridor. Fragment this continuity, and the impact will be lasting.</p>.<p>These forests perform essential ecological functions. In a high-rainfall region, they stabilise slopes, prevent erosion, and regulate water flow. Disturbance through blasting and excavation weakens this system, increasing the risks of landslides and soil loss. Their hydrological role is equally critical. The forested catchment feeds water bodies such as the Kadra Reservoir nearby, where healthy forests help maintain water quality and reduce siltation. Quarrying in such areas risks sediment runoff and long-term degradation of these water systems. It is also not an isolated activity – it brings roads, machinery, noise, and human presence, fragmenting habitats and disrupting wildlife movement.</p>.<p>The history of the site adds to the concern. The quarry lease dates back to 1994 and expired in 1999, yet the land was never restored.</p>.<p>The Ministry’s headquarters has sought clarifications on several points: why the quarry and approach road have been proposed separately, whether an approach road has already been constructed on forest land without prior approval, and why the land was not resumed after the lease expired. The Ministry has also asked whether the site falls within ecologically sensitive areas of the Western Ghats, including the eco-<br>sensitive zone of the Kali <br>Tiger Reserve.</p>.<p>There is also a clear policy inconsistency. When the Kaiga Units 5 and 6 project was approved by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife in 2019, it came with conditions, including a prohibition on sourcing construction material from adjoining forest land. The present proposal goes against that safeguard.</p>.<p>Risks from gains</p>.<p>It is difficult to ignore the irony that while the people of the Kali valley have long borne the cost of dams, reservoirs, and power projects, they continue to be denied basic facilities such as roads, electricity, bridges, and <br>mobile connectivity, often on the grounds of protecting wildlife and complying with safeguards. If such laws can be enforced so strictly in denying basic rights, one can only hope they will be applied with equal sincerity to ecologically unsustainable activities like quarrying.</p>.<p>The importance of the Kaiga project – a key part of India’s energy infrastructure – is not in question. But for that reason, the stability of its surrounding environment becomes more critical. This was recognised during the “Samaya Rekha 2025” disaster preparedness exercise at Kaiga, where experts examined risks such as landslides, extreme rainfall, and emergency scenarios.</p>.<p>NPCIL has, to its credit, supported wildlife conservation through CSR funding and wildlife mitigation plans in and around the project landscape, including the Kali Tiger Reserve and the Karwar and Yellapur forest divisions – efforts that are widely appreciated. In the same spirit, sourcing construction material from outside sensitive wildlife areas would better align with these efforts.</p>.<p>The real question is not development versus conservation, but whether we are willing to wound a healing forest for short-term gain and silence the tiger’s roar just as it begins to return.</p>.<p><em>(The writer is a wildlife conservationist)</em></p><p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
