How Fadnavis Ignored Own Committee to Approve Mining In a Tiger Corridor

The mining project was cleared in tiger corridor linking to Tadoba despite wildlife board recommending against it.

Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis Clears Iron Ore Mining Project in Tadoba Tiger Corridor Despite State Wildlife Panel Warning of Forest and Tiger Habitat Loss

(Graphic by The Quint)

• Over 18,000 trees to be chopped across 35.95 ha

• 12,000 species of plants and trees to be impacted

• Hundreds of wild animals, including tigers, to be forced to relocate

• Over 650 villages to face an increased threat of human–tiger conflict

All of this and more in exchange for 120 jobs in a private steel company (only 32 of which would be permanent).

This is the gist of a proposed mining project approved by the Devendra Fadnavis-chaired State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, in the heart of the Reserved Forest Zone in the Brahmapuri Division, which directly connects to India’s largest national park—the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.

Weeks ago, while the national media was focused on mining in the Aravallis, a similar proposal was being pushed in Maharashtra by a Nagpur-based private firm to pursue iron ore mining in Chandrapur, a region that is home to about 250 of the approximately 4,000 tigers in India.

But what has raised alarm is that the approval was granted despite a SBWL–constituted committee opposing the proposal in a detailed, robust, and strongly worded report: “Any mining in this forest will cause irreversible damage to the environment and wildlife…”

(Photo: Wikipedia/Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve)

The commencement of the project now depends on approval from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), which has yet to respond to the state government’s clearance.

For local villagers, however, the concerns are far more immediate.

“In 2025 alone, 47 deaths were recorded in tiger attacks in Chandrapur district. At least 18 people were killed in tiger-related conflicts in the Brahmapuri division, with 10 tigers having to be captured and removed. Consider this ratio—18 human deaths and 10 tigers taken into captivity,” said Bandu Dhotre, a renowned environmentalist from Chandrapur and a former member of the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL).

Villagers expected to be impacted by the project, the SBWL committee’s report, and local activists have all warned that any further fragmentation of forests in the region is life-threatening for both tigers and humans.

“Every recommendation of the current SBWL opposed the project. One wonders—how could the state government override a committee that it itself constituted?” Dhotre said.

Below, a closer look at the proposed project, the environmental cruciality of the site where it is planned, the state committee’s findings and recommendations, and the immediate as well as long-term impact on India’s largest tiger reserve and national park.

The Project

The project has been proposed by Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd (SISCL), one of India’s largest steel producers since 1989, with an integrated plant in Bhandara, about 70 km from Nagpur. The plant produces 5 lakh tonnes of steel annually.

The company manufactures original equipment for several automobile manufacturers in India and abroad, including Tata, Volvo, Maruti Suzuki, TVS, Bajaj, and Harley-Davidson, among others.

The project proposed near Lohardongri village involves diverting a biodiversity-rich area of 35.94 hectares of Reserved Forest land, with over 18,000 trees, for iron ore mining.

The expanse of the Tadoba reserve in Chandrapur.

(Photo: Maps)

Additionally, the project will require the construction of roads and ancillary infrastructure, for which further forest areas leading to the proposed mine will need to be cleared.

In exchange, the firm has promised employment to local villagers and assured the construction of infrastructure to provide 24×7 water supply to villages in the region.

Why Brahmapuri is Geographically & Environmentally Crucial

The site proposed for the iron ore mining project is located near Lohardongri village in the Brahmapuri Reserve Forest, compartment No. 95. Around 650 villages fall within this forest division, where the landscape is already fragmented into small patches.

The mine is proposed in the heart of the dense forests of the Brahmapuri Forest Division, adjacent to the Ghodajhari Wildlife Sanctuary. This belt lies within a crucial tiger corridor, connecting the source population of tigers in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve to the Brahmapuri–Gadchiroli landscape and other northern tiger-bearing forests.

(Photo accessed by The Quint)

The forest is home to more than 60 tigers, along with several other wild species. The specific 35-hectare area expected to be impacted is home to at least five tigers, 8–10 leopards, 5–7 bears, as well as wild dogs, wild cats, hyenas, deer, rabbits, monkeys, wild boars, and several species of birds.

Additionally, the area has numerous documented medicinal plants, fruit-bearing trees, and water bodies such as lakes and canals, which serve as vital water sources not only for wildlife but also for local communities.

The Committee's Findings

The three-member committee of the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), constituted in October 2024, comprised Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, Chief Conservator of Forests, Chandrapur, and Shri Pravin Singh Pardeshi and Poonam Dhanwatey, both members of the Maharashtra State Wildlife Board. The committee submitted a detailed report opposing the project in October 2024.

“Any mining in this forest will cause irreversible damage to the environment and wildlife, loss of large tree cover, and immense pollution of air and water. Forest fragmentation will increase human–large carnivore conflict and heighten threats to humans, habitats, and wildlife,” the report noted.

Key warnings of the committee:

• The open-cast mine will require excavation up to a depth of 54 metres and is projected to have an annual output of only 1.1 million tonnes over its entire 12-year lifespan.

• The proposed mine offers employment to just 120 individuals locally, of whom only 32 would be recruited as permanent staff.

• The ore availability is barely 1.1 lakh tonnes annually. No study has been conducted on the zone of influence around the 35.73 hectares of the mine.

• Additional forest land will need to be cleared for a 600-metre-long, six-metre-wide road required for ore transportation.

• The amount of “conflict compensation” the state is expected to pay is likely to exceed the proposed economic benefits of the mine.

• There will be severe damage to habitat, tree cover, wildlife, and water sources, along with health risks to local residents due to pollution.

The committee concluded that the damage to the environment, health risks posed to locals by pollutants, the threat of increased conflict for communities, the efforts required to mitigate such conflict, and the compensation burden on the state exchequer all far outweigh any perceived benefits of the project.

“Therefore, the project is not recommended,” the committee stated.

Tigress Maya with its cubs in Tadoba Tiger Reserve

(Photo: WIkipedia)

At least six gram panchayats were consulted by the committee while preparing the report. While many expressed hopes of employment and improved road and water infrastructure as a result of the project, they also raised concerns about rising summer temperatures, pollution, damage to agriculture and forest resources, and, most importantly, an increase in human–tiger conflict.

It remains unclear how many villages were actually consulted before the project was approved. Local residents claim that only one public hearing was held in Lohardongri village, and that very few people were aware of the project’s potential impacts.

The Rise in Tiger-Human Conflict

Over the past few years, the region has witnessed a gradual rise in human–tiger conflicts, with such incidents often resulting in deaths. Environmentalists and local residents cite mining activity and irrigation projects in the region as the primary causes.

The Brahmapuri Division is roughly equal in size to the buffer zone of the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. Tadoba’s buffer zone contains around 92 villages and consists of a largely continuous forest landscape. In contrast, although Brahmapuri has a comparable forest area, it is highly fragmented, spread across disconnected patches, and contains about 650 villages.

Of these, nearly 350 villages directly border forest land. As a result, tigers enter agricultural areas more frequently and become dependent on livestock, which explains why human–tiger conflict is highest in the Brahmapuri Division.

A tiger captured after straying into civilian areas in Chandrapur.

(Photo: Facebook/Bandu Dhotre)

The canal of the Gosikhurd irrigation project also passes through the region, splitting the Chandrapur–Brahmapuri forest into two parts. This has separated the Gadchiroli and Navegaon–Nagzira corridors, disrupted the natural movement of tigers, and further aggravated human–tiger conflict.

As these tigers mature and new generations emerge, they will need to establish territories and will not be able to accommodate themselves within already limited and shrinking forest patches. Inevitably, they will move towards agricultural areas, where cattle are easily available. This is where human–wildlife conflict begins.

“If mining activities or other development work are carried out anywhere, the corridor will inevitably be disrupted. As a result, tigers will no longer be able to move from one forest to another and will be forced to establish their habitat within limited areas. Over the past 10–15 years, we have observed that tigers have adjusted to different habitats, leading to an abnormally high concentration of tigers in certain areas,” Dhotre explained.

Put simply, the more forests are fragmented, the more human–wildlife conflict rises.

“People talk about the COVID-19 lockdown. But whenever there is a tiger-related conflict, a lockdown-like situation emerges in 10–15 surrounding villages. Children cannot go to school, and even people who travel for work cannot commute through forest routes. Farmers are confined to their homes and cannot go to water their fields for weeks, fearing for their lives,” Dhotre said.

Development for Who?

The approval of the project has once again triggered the development-versus-environment debate, with the firm promising to hand over 30 hectares of forest land to the government in Yavatmal in exchange.

“But can this truly replace the forest that will be destroyed here? Forests are not planted—they evolve over time. Ecosystems like mangroves function as natural protective shields. Cutting forests here and planting trees elsewhere is not a solution,” Dhotre said.

Moreover, the project is expected to generate just 120 jobs for local residents, of which only 32 would be permanent. These are expected to be skilled positions, making the likelihood of employment for local communities low.

Many local tribal communities believe that, in exchange for such limited employment, they cannot afford to gamble with their forests and environment.

Environmentalist Bandu Dhotre

(Photo: Facebook/Bandu Dhotre)

"Today, we are witnessing a dangerous trend across the country, where development activities are repeatedly permitted in protected and forest areas—whether in the Aravallis or in mangrove ecosystems. The question is: development for whom, and at what cost?” Dhotre asked.

Dhotre has now launched an online petition opposing the project.

“We are not positioning ourselves as agitators,” he said.

“We are not opposed to development. But we must decide where development should take place and where it should not. Forests, tribal communities, and wildlife all have rights. We are simply presenting facts recorded in official government reports—47 human deaths, 10 tigers captured, habitats of more than 60 tigers, and the clear conclusion that mining should not be allowed here.”