MUMBAI, June 5 -- 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. 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 accused the state government and SBWL member Deepak Reddy of facilitating mining activity in a notified tiger corridor, claiming it would harm forests and tiger habitats. In a June 2 letter to NTCA member secretary Sanjay Kumar, he alleged that the SBWL cleared mining despite the matter being sub judice and questioned its authority to alter an NTCA-recognised tiger corridor without consulting the NTCA or NBWL. Addressing the media on Thursday, Thackeray cited two letters written by Reddy. In April, Reddy stated that tiger corridors include both NTCA-identified corridors and areas with active tiger movement. However, in May, he withdrew those observations for official purposes. Thackeray said the contradictory stand suggested either government pressure or commercial interests and was against national interests. Reddy denied the allegation. SBWL member Kiran Shelar said he was unaware of the allegations....