BENGALURU: Rahim chacha wouldn’t say “Itna sannata kyun hai bhai”, if he were to visit the rocky terrain in Sholaynagar aka Ramanagara today. For, the sound of dynamite blasts crushing the boulders reverberate now. The rocks are being cleared to facilitate easy commute between Bengaluru and Mysuru. This is also affecting Ramadevarabetta, a major vulture sanctuary.
Though Sholay was shot 44 years ago in the backdrop of these giant granite cliffs, the memories of Gabbar Singh, Basanthi, Jai, Veeru and Thakur and the iconic dialogues still linger in the hearts of the villagers.
Cradled between the rocky Vadeyarahalli and the vulture sanctuary, is the location where the famous temple scene in the cult film Sholay was shot. “Here is where Hema Malini prayed to Lord Shankar for a good husband,” says Naganna, a local, who had worked on the sets of the 1975 movie.
In the past two years, a national highway project has taken shape in the rustic location. As part of this project connecting Bengaluru to Mysuru, a six-lane road must pass through Ramanagara, bypassing the town.
Environmentalists are apprehensive that the blasting of the boulders is taking a toll on the vulture population in the sanctuary.If the dreaded dacoit Gabbar Singh were to haunt the place again, he could well ask, “Kitne vultures the?” Or could growl , “Arre O Samba” in his menacing way.
The numbers dropped from more than 20 in 2011 to just 5 in the last counting in 2018-19.Earlier too, alert environmentalists in the region had raised concerns about the dwindling vulture population, which prompted a campaign for a sanctuary tag for the boulder-ridden region. Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary was officially set up in 2012 while the long-billed, Egyptian and white-backed vultures have been roosting in the hills of Ramanagara for several decades, according to the official website of the district. Around 346.41 hectares was earmarked as a protected area for the scavenger birds.
Now, environmentalists who are part of the Karnataka Vulture Conservation Trust have raised concerns again. A member, on condition of anonymity, told TNIE that the highway work that had started three years ago, had been adversely affecting the long-billed vultures. They are not able to breed as none of the eggs survive.
However, RFO Dalesh refuted the claims of negative impact due to boulder-blasting. “There is no blasting, only a gradation of the rocks, and it does not impact the vultures as the sanctuary is 300 metres from the the bypass area. An eco-sensitive zone monitoring committee has given its approval for the road widening, a regulated activity,” he said.