HYDERABAD: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has sought wildlife clearance to chop 48.83 ha of forest land in Amrabad Tiger Reserve to widen National Highway-765 that passes through the tiger reserve.
The road connects Hyderabad to Thokapally via Srisailam. MoRTH, in its justification submitted along with the application for wildlife clearance, said the existing highway is not up to the standards of National Highways.
The road connects to Srisailam, a pilgrimage destination, and its upgradation will benefit help ease traffic, said MoRTH. Of the 48.83 ha over which clearance has been sought, 46.8 ha falls in Amrabad forest division and 1.9 ha falls in Achampet division.
As per the proposal, the highway is to be widened to 11 metres from 4 metres between Mannanur to Farahabad and from zero metres to 12 metres between Farahabad to Eagalapenta. As the proposal involves wildlife clearance of area less than 50 ha, no Biodiversity Impact Assessment report has been submitted.
Telangana’a Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, R Sobha, told Express, “We haven’t yet received the hard copies of the proposal.
Once we receive them, they will be forwarded to the Divisional Forest Officer and Conservator of Forests (CF) for inspection. As it is a Tiger reserve, the proposals will be intensely scrutinised and traffic data will also be analysed.”
Once the CF sends his comments, it will be critically viewed whether widening is essential or not. The proposals also will go to State Board for Wildlife Board and National Board for Wildlife and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
“As per NTCA guidelines, no new diversions like widening are permitted in Tiger Reserve,” she added.
Imran Siddiqui of Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society, who has worked on tiger conservation in Amrabad, said, “If the highway is widened, it will cause irreversible damage to the tiger reserve and the entire ecosystem would get affected.”
MoRTH stated last year that all efforts shall be made to avoid any road alignment through National Parks and Wildlife sanctuaries, even if it requires taking a longer route/bypass.