New Delhi, March 25 -- A Central environmental panel has spiked the National Highway Authority of India's proposal to construct the Rs 1,078.40-crore 211-km-long eight-lane road (newly declared NH 148N) connecting Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district to Vadodara in Gujarat. It said the road may threaten the habitat of the highly endangered Lesser Floricans in the adjoining Sailna Khamor Wildlife Sanctuary in Ratlam district.

In a meeting held recently, the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Environment Ministry sought detailed information on the impact of the project on the smallest agro-grassland bustard which are in danger of becoming extinct from India. The last census in 2017 had put their number to just 264. This variety of b...