The Hindu: Bangalore: Thursday, 28 January
2016.
A recent
meeting of the Regional Empowered Committee, Southern Zone of the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, has accorded Stage I in-principle permission for the
widening project that is expected to improve connectivity between the northern
hinterlands of the State and the port at Panaji.
The National
Highways Authority of India had sought permission to divert nearly 210 acres of
forest land for the four-laning project.
The
estimated number of trees to be cut is 37,682.
The committee
has given approval for widening in nearly 70 km, which lies outside protected
areas; while, the decision on 16 acres (entailing cutting 1,127 trees) within
Kali Tiger Reserve is to be taken only by a Supreme Court committee.
Mitigation
measures
The
mitigation measures mentioned include cutting of trees “only if essential”,
construction of one 50 m underpass for elephants, as well as space below
culverts for movement of animals all of which are “insufficient”, say
activists.
“This is a
joke. There is no mitigation at all. In the name of development, we cannot
sanction destruction of forests... The trees that are going to be cut are
endangered species and the region is one of the biggest bird habitats,” said
A.N. Yellappa Reddy, environmentalist and member of the committee.
His
objections, which included fear of irreversible damage and fragmentation of
forests, raised during the discussions were dismissed as being “not significant
and a developing nation cannot ignore the necessity of good and efficient road
network”.
Animal
deaths
Similarly,
activists point to sensitive wildlife that have become sitting ducks in front
of speeding vehicles. Wildlife activist Giridhar Kulkarni says RTI data pulled
out by him show that more than 50 large animals had been run over by speeding vehicles
on 14 roads that pass through Kali Tiger Reserve.
No to
widening in tiger reserve
“Animals
cross in many points of the road and one underpass is not enough. Now that
permission is given for most of the stretch, there should not be any widening
in the tiger reserve. This 14-km stretch can be traversed by road improvements
instead of widening,” he said, adding that at the minimum, speed curtailing
measures employed in Bandipur must be followed.
P.S.
Somashekar, IGP, National Tiger Conservation Authority, said permission had
been accorded only to strengthen existing road width in tiger reserve and speed
breakers and other speed control measures must be implemented.
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