HYDERABAD: The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has given green signal for axing close to 20,000 trees inside forests for widening two national highways -- one on the outskirts of Hyderabad and the other between Mancherial and Maharashtra-Telangana border and passing through the Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR).
Around 9,300 trees in 42.74 hectares of land are to be chopped down for four-laning a section of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) from the Telangana State Police Academy junction till Manneguda junction which is part of National Highway (NH)-163. The road, covering a distance of 46.53 km, passes through Aziz Nagar, Himayat Nagar, Moinabad, Appareddyguda, Chevella and Indra Reddy Nagar.
Thick forests in tiger corridor too
As per the minutes of a meeting held recently by the Regional Empowered Committee (REC) of MoEF’s southern regional office in Chennai, which were accessed by Express, the road-widening project requires felling of 6,968 trees in an area of over 29.95 hectares (ha) in the Shamshabad forest division and 2,290 trees in 12.78 ha in the Vikarabad forest division.
The road passes through Mudimiyal reserve forest for a distance of 5.02 km and through the Kandlapally reserve forest for 2.09 km.
As per the REC meeting, clearance has also been given by MoEF for chopping down 10,105 trees in 62.25 ha of forest area in Mancherial, Bellampalle and Asifabad forest divisions, for widening a 94.6-km-long stretch of road connecting Mancherial and Chandrapur in Maharashtra from two lanes to four lanes. This stretch of road is part of NH-363. Trees inside Asifabad forest area of 5.74 ha, part of the tiger corridor of Kawal Tiger Reserve, will also be felled for this project.
Tiger corridors are stretches of forest which facilitate safe movement of tigers and other wild animals outside the tiger reserve and play an important role in wildlife conservation. It may be mentioned here that the REC minutes of meeting clearly mention that the divisional forest officer of Asifabad pointed out that ‘thick forests’ exist on both sides of the road proposed for widening in the tiger corridor.Yet, the MoEF gave clearance for widening of this road too. Before the MoEF cleared the two road-widening proposals, the Telangana government had given green signal for them.
Forest to be cleared to lay rail line
The Ministry of Environment and Forests has also given a green signal for clearing of the forest area of 12 hectares for laying a railway line up until the Koyagudem coal mine of Singareni Collieries Company Limited in Kothagudem district.