CHENNAI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday put an end to the controversy surrounding the ‘Girivalam’ road-widening project, by concluding that the expansion proposal cannot be deemed illegal or against the preservation of nature.
However, the tribunal imposed certain conditions, reducing the width of the proposed roads and forbidding the felling of trees in order to preserve the sanctity and ecology of the historical Arunachala Hill in Tiruvannamalai district. The bench asserted that with an increasing number of devotees thronging the 14-km route, the district administration, State government and police must ensure the safety of pilgrims, especially on days like ‘Kathigai Deepam’, which see large crowds.
“This historical Girivalam route must be developed in a proper manner for the benefit of devotees to meet any eventuality,” the bench said, and stressed that such development should not be at the cost of environment
PUTTING an end to the controversy surrounding the ‘Girivalam’ road widening project, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) here on Tuesday concluded that the expansion proposal cannot be deemed illegal or against the preservation of nature. By this, the tribunal has given the green light to the project.
However, it has imposed conditions like reducing the extent of road widening and not permitting felling of any tree to preserve the sanctity and ecology of the historical Mount Arunachala Hill in Tiruvannamalai district.
In the 55-page judgment, the bench comprising Justice P Jyothimani and expert member P S Rao asserted that in the light of multi-fold increase in the number of devotees thronging the 14-km Girivalam route, the district administration, State government and the police are duty bound to ensure their safety, especially during crowded days like ‘Kathigai Deepam’.
“We have no hesitation to come to a conclusion that this historical Girivalam route must be developed in a proper manner for the benefit of devotees to meet any eventuality,” the bench said.
At the same time, the bench stressed that such development should not be at the cost of environment. The tribunal has turned down the move to cut trees - 347 trees were initially proposed to be cut, which was later reduced to 218 and then finally to 125 trees. The expert committee appointed by the NGT had submitted the final report where felling of only one tamarind tree was allowed in stretch one (Pondy-Krishnagiri road), but even that was struck down by the tribunal.
The 14-km Girivalam path is divided into five stretches, of which considerable area of two stretches - one and five - falls in the Tiruvannamalai municipality limits. The other three stretches 2, 3 and 4 are ecologically sensitive areas, especially the two-km Hill Round Road (stretch 2) that runs along Sonagiri forest.
D Nagasaila, an advocate, who argued against the project said any development on the hill side in stretch two would harm the environment. “There is shrub forest, which forms part of Sonagiri reserve. This can be disturbed in the guise of removing bushes,” she said. However, Jayasekharan, Tiruvannamalai divisional engineer, Highways Department, told Express that a two-metre paver block will not affect any trees or shrubs. Additional government pleader E Manoharan said the tribunal has addressed all the concerns while allowing the case to come to a logical conclusion.