The Centre’s Empowered Wildlife Clearance Committee has approved the diversion of 411.48 hectares of forest land for the 1,800 MW Panari Standalone Pump Storage Project in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna and Panna districts, despite the site falling within the ecologically significant Panna–Ranipur Tiger Corridor.
The project includes the construction of two reservoirs, with the lower reservoir planned across a seasonal tributary of the Baghain River. The corridor serves as a vital wildlife passage connecting Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh with Ranipur Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, and supports the movement of tigers, leopards, dholes, wolves, sloth bears, gaurs, sambars and chitals. Telemetry studies have shown that dispersing tigers regularly use the surrounding forests.
During its review, experts from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department recommended several safeguards to reduce the project’s impact on wildlife. These include constructing wildlife overpasses, underpasses, and box culverts, along with rerouting certain project roads to maintain habitat connectivity.
While the NTCA acknowledged the project’s potential contribution to renewable energy and improved water management, the committee imposed strict conditions. The developer must avoid nighttime construction, prevent damage to forests and wildlife habitats, and implement an approved conservation plan to protect the corridor’s biodiversity.Baghain River
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