BENGALURU: The State Board for Wildlife (SBW) on Tuesday approved a proposal from the Public Works Department (PWD) to construct a 6.63 km elevated corridor passing through the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) and Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) in Anekal range. The SBW meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The elevated corridor is part of the 280-km Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR), being constructed around Bengaluru to reduce traffic and restrict the movement of heavy vehicles in the state capital. A proposal was made in 2018-19 to cut through BNP, but was put on hold with rising opposition from conservationists, activists and serving and retired forest officials.
After going back to the drawing board, PWD chalked out five proposals and sent them to the forest department for approval in 2023. Of all of them, the one with the elevated corridor was chosen for approval. Pillars will be erected on the existing road so that no trees are cut and there is minimal damage to BNP, the proposal states.
It was tabled at the 17th wildlife board meeting on Tuesday and was cleared within a few minutes. At the 10-minute meeting, while many other proposals including discussion on Hesaraghatta grassland was deferred, the CM cleared the proposal for developing STRR Phase-2 (NH948A) from Ramanagara to Peddamadhagondapalli, a 57.8 km stretch in Ramanagara and Bengaluru Urban, passing through survey numbers 91 and 100 inside BNP.
“PWD had chalked out five proposals, including the construction of the 6.63 kms elevated corridor from Marsarahalli village to Periyamagondahalli and sent them to the forest department and Board members. The construction of the elevated corridor will also include putting up deck gates, CCTV, barricades and boards,” a board member said. The proposal was cleared, citing elevated corridors in Pench tiger reserve, the member added.
No other option to address traffic issues: Official
FOREST department sources said as per procedures the proposal will now be sent to the National Board for Wildlife (NBW). “We are not keen for the elevated corridor, but looking at Bengaluru’s traffic congestion and rising pressure, there seems to be no other option. The area proposed in Anekal range is a crucial chicken neck.
BNP houses a healthy elephant population, cases of man-animal conflict are high here. BNP is also important as it is a crucial elephant corridor connecting to Tamil Nadu. Also, BNP houses two tigers now,” said a forest department official.
Meanwhile, the Board also approved setting up of a standing committee for SBW, on the lines of the one set up for the NBW. Board members said under the amended Wildlife Protection Act, a committee can be constituted. It will be headed by the vice-chairman of SBW, who in this case is the forest minister. The committee will have ten members from the existing wildlife board. This is similar to the standing committee of the NBW, where the MoEFCC minister is the head.