BENGALURU: The Harohalli-Anekal Highway passing through the Eco-Sensitive Zone of the Bannerghatta National Park is likely to take the elevated route in order to provide for the safe passage of elephants. With 5km of this highway cutting across a crucial elephant corridor that provides connectivity to wildlife between protected areas, an elevated structure is being seen as a mitigation measure here, which sees movement of many elephant herds.
The Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) for infrastructure, CRZ and other miscellaneous projects on Tuesday visited and surveyed the elephant corridor area through which this highway passes. Wildlife organisations and activists had raised serious objections to the proposed upgradation project and said it will cause serious disturbance to the movement of elephants, leopards and other wild animals.
With state forest officials proposing various alternatives, the EAC members said they are looking for the best possible solution which may be an elevated flyover (up to a height of six metres), stretching for 4.5-5 km in the ESZ. Such projects have been successful in other parts of the country as it turns into a ‘No-Go’ zone for traffic below, as well as easing and benefiting wildlife movement.
Meanwhile, Bannerghatta Nature Conservation Trust (BNCT) submitted a memorandum to Deepak Apte, Chairman, EAC and Director, Bombay Natural History Society, at Thattekere where the committee reviewed the ground situation. Vishnu, BNCT, added, “As a terminal point on the northern side of Mysore Elephant Reserve, this is a significant path for movement of Asian elephants that migrate from the adjacent Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and Krishnagiri and Hosur forest divisions of Tamil Nadu. Further, it is a crucial watershed for many streams and other small rivers. With its proximity to Bengaluru, its importance as a green belt close to the city cannot be under-emphasized as it moderates the city’s climate and makes it livable, so they should look for re-alignment.”
Prasanna, founder-member of Kenneth Anderson Nature Society, is working for the conservation of Melagiris, a 1,500-sq km of forest that lies immediately to the south of Ragihalli and extends up to Hogenakal and other areas in Tamil Nadu. He said, “We met the chairman and apprised him of our concerns. The committee informed that the elevated flyover in this area will have a beneficial impact as the present vehicular movement on this road os very heavy. They were basically suggesting mitigation measures but the height of the flyover needs to be more than 6 metres ...”
According to CCF (Wildlife) Manoj Kumar, the expert advisory committee of the MoEF was on a field visit on Tuesday and is assessing the situation. “The forest department will not compromise on the conservation issue.”