MUMBAI: Controversy has erupted over permission granted by the state government and state wildlife authorities for an iron ore mining project in Gadchiroli as the site allegedly overlaps with a tiger corridor between the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district and the Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh.Mumbai, India – Nov 11, 2024: Political leaders Aaditya Thackeray MLA, Shiv Sena (UBT) shared their vision for Mumbai’s development ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections at IMC, Churchgate, in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, Nov 11, 2024. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, environment minister in the erstwhile MVA government, on Thursday said he has written to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), seeking cancellation of permission given to the mining major, dissolution of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) that gave the permission, and suspension of M Srinivas Reddy (IFS), principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), for taking contradictory positions on the issue – first saying the project was located in a tiger corridor and later denying it.The mining project covers 9.4 sq km of forest land in Gadchiroli, allegedly in a tiger corridor near the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. The project received forest clearance on April 15, 2026, and environmental clearance on May 12. The next day, on May 13, the state government exempted the project from wildlife clearance, saying it was not located within a tiger corridor. The mining project is part of a major push by the state to transform Gadchiroli district into a steel hub.Thackeray has slammed the state government and Reddy, saying mining would adversely impact the forest and tiger reserve. In a letter dated June 2 to NTCA member secretary Sanjay Kumar, Thackeray alleged that the SBWL had granted permission for mining activity in a notified tiger corridor, even though the matter was pending before the court.He also questioned the wildlife board’s jurisdiction to independently alter or dilute a tiger corridor recognised by the NTCA and allow potentially hazardous activities without consulting either the NTCA or the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).Addressing the media on Thursday, Thackeray produced two letters written by Reddy to the additional chief secretary of the state forest department. In his first letter in April, Reddy said tiger corridors include not only officially identified corridors by the NTCA but also other areas that witness active tiger movements. Then, in a letter written in May, Reddy did a U-turn, saying his earlier observations should not be considered for official purposes.“The two consecutive and contradictory letters could either be due to government pressure or because of a commercial interest. But it cannot be denied that the U-turn is detrimental to India’s national interests and Mr Reddy’s primary duty is to stand by the Act under all pressure,” said Thackeray in his letter to the NTCA.Reddy told HT, “I verified the available data and records, and I found that the land does not fall in the tiger corridor.” SBWL member Kiran Shelar said he was not aware of Thackeray’s allegations.