BENGALURU: THE widening project of state highway-50 has been stopped by the state forest department as the ongoing works were spilling over to the forest area and were being carried out without permission under both forest and wildlife laws. Further, as this highway passes through the Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary — the abode of the endangered Lion Tailed Macaque species, the project needs permission from central agencies too.
The state highway development project, Stage-3 between Soraba in Shivamogga and Bhatkal in Uttar Kannada districts began in October last year with neither any clearances nor permission, forest officials say. Shivamogga deputy conservator of forests, wildlife division, Shivshankar told Express, “Earlier, we thought they were repairing the road but we found later that it was a widening project — spilling over to the forest areas.”
The DCF adds that the PWD department needs to apply for permission under the Forest Conservation Act as well as from the National Board for Wildlife as it is a protected area for endangered Lion Tailed Macaques, an arboreal species needing contiguity of tree cover. Political stunt Welcoming the stoppage of the project, wildlife activists from this region say the forest department’s action has angered political leaders from this district and they are out to shunt them.
However, this may in the long run, prove to discourage the young honest officials. They add that the 131 km-long highway connecting Bhatkal with Soraba via Jog, Mavinagundi, Siddapura and Chandragutti has less traffic and so there was no need for any widening. Wildlife conservationist D V Girish says, “For the last two years, there has been a lot of good conservation effort in this wildlife division despite political interference. As per rules, they asked the department to get permission for taking up the widening work. And the continuing transfer harassment where honest and good forest officers are shunted or transferred within a year just because they adhered to laws, is deplorable.”