BANGALORE: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to build four-lane highways, literally cutting across five national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the state. The plan also includes the Bandipur Tiger Reserve wherein currently, the High Court has imposed a night traffic ban.
According to the NHAI proposal, around 3,000 km of national highways in the state would be developed as four and six-lane roads on a public private partnership (PPP) basis under the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP) scheme.The plan also specifies that around 1,491 km of national highways would be built by the state Public Works Department with assistance from the World Bank. The project has also received a signed support from the state government. In all, around 15 national highways of the state would be developed as four-lane and six-lane highways.However, around five national highways fall under national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.National highways like 13 (Solapur to Mangalore, through the forests of Shimoga, Sringeri and Karkala), 67 (Mettupalyam to Gundlupet), 234 (Mangalore to Mulbagal, cutting through Belthangady and Mudigere) come under the Someshwara and Mookambika wildlife sanctuaries.And National Highways 212 (Kozhikode to Kollegal) and 209 (Bangalore to Dindigul through Chamarajnagar) come under the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. In the case of Bandipur, after consistent lobbying by conservationists, the High Court of Karnataka imposed a ban on night traffic.“The highway authorities will need a clearance from the state and national wildlife board and later from the Supreme Court,” said Sanjay Gubbi, assistant director for Centre for Wildlife Studies. “Principal secretary PWD V Umesh had sent us a proposal in this regard,” informed Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment, Nagaraj Hampoole.“We have directed them to obtain permission from the national wildlife board,’’ he said.When contacted, Secretary PWD, Lakshman Rao Peshve said the matter has been exclusively dealt by Umesh and that he had nothing to comment on it in this regard.Principal Secretary Umesh was not available for comment as he is on a visit to Brazil.
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