Chandigarh, July 8 -- In a bid to improve river flow and reduce recurring flood risks, the standing committee of the state board for wildlife on Tuesday approved seven desilting proposals across Punjab, paving the way for their consideration by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) panel for final clearance. The meeting, chaired by forest minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, cleared seven of nearly 50 desilting sites proposed by the state water resources department. The proposals come against the backdrop of repeated floods in the state over the past several years, which have led to heavy silt accumulation in major rivers, reducing their carrying capacity. The approved projects cover 8.19 hectares at two locations along the Beas in Hoshiarpur, around 94 hectares across four sites in Kapurthala and Gurdaspur, and an 11-hectare stretch along the Ravi near Kathlour Wildlife Sanctuary. Flowing across nearly 185 kilometres through Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, and Kapurthala districts, the Beas River has emerged as one of the state's most ecologically sensitive freshwater ecosystems. The river was declared a Conservation Reserve in 2017 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and later designated a Ramsar site in 2019 owing to its rich biodiversity. Each proposal is supported by a detailed project report (DPR), an undertaking that the exercise will be strictly non-commercial, and a wildlife mitigation plan prepared with technical assistance from the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar. The excavated sand will be used exclusively to strengthen river embankments. The mitigation plans include safeguards to minimise disturbance to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, particularly the Indus river dolphin, gharial and other species inhabiting the Beas Conservation Reserve and adjoining ecosystems. Separate wildlife mitigation budgets have been earmarked for each project by the water resources department. The committee, however, deferred the proposal for desilting 51.99 hectares at Perch Dam in Mohali. Located around 3km from Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, the project falls within the sanctuary's proposed eco-sensitive zone and will first require approval from the state board for wildlife before it can be referred to the NBWL standing committee. The Hoshiarpur projects carry a wildlife mitigation budget of Rs.10.31 crore, while the Kapurthala-Gurdaspur package has been allocated Rs.6.42 crore. The Pathankot proposal includes mitigation measures worth Rs.4.96 crore. The agenda also clarified the approval process for the Pathankot proposal. Although disaster-management desilting is exempt from environmental clearance under a March 28, 2020, Union government notification, the site's location within the eco-sensitive zone of Kathlour Wildlife Sanctuary necessitates prior clearance from the state board for wildlife before it can be placed before the NBWL standing committee....