50K trees face the axe for Bandipur's elevated highway project

Kalpetta: Green activists are stepping up protests against a proposed elevated highway through the Bandipur forest, envisaged to circumvent the ban on night travel through the area.

Night travel through the Bandipur forest area was banned in 2009.

In August this year, the ministry of Road Transport and Highways proposed to construct one-kilometre elevated highways in five spots, following a petition by the Nilgiri-Wayanad NH and Railway Action Committee in the Supreme Court.

In its petition, the committee sought an elevated highway in the wake of the night traffic ban. The court directed constitution of a panel of experts, involving representatives from Kerala, Karnataka, National Tiger Conservation Authority and a representative of the Chaitanya Projects Pvt. Ltd, that specialises in highways and bridges.

The expert panel, headed by the secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, dismissed Kerala's suggestion of bio-fencing. It agreed on an elevated highway, with an estimated cost of Rs 458 crore, which would have to be equally shared by the Central and Kerala governments.

The Centre also suggested raising the height of the elevated highway from the proposed seven metres to 15 metres.

It mooted installing steel fences with a height of eight meters in spots where there is no elevated road.

The multiple elevated corridors project is part of the Bharatmala project passing through Bandipur Tiger reserve forest area on National Highway 212.

The total forest area is 25 kilometres.

Activists claim 50,000 trees would have to be felled for the construction of the elevated highway.

On October 27, green activists would hold a massive protest at Maddur gate near Bandipur tiger reserve.

Stance of Kerala, Karnataka

The Kerala government submitted a petition in the Supreme Court seeking relaxation in the night ban during the flood, when volunteers were bringing aid to the state.

The Supreme Court sought the opinion of the governments in Kerala and Karnataka about the construction of the proposed elevated highway.

The court also directed the governments to reply within four weeks.

Though the Kerala government sought relaxation in the travel ban, it did not comment on the construction of the elevated highway.

In an earlier statement, Kerala transport minister AK Saseendran had said the Rs 229 crore would be an additional commitment on the state, that recently battled a deluge.

However, the Karnataka government, which opposed the project openly, also did not inform about it in the Supreme Court.

Action committee convener advocate Rasheed TM charged that the Kerala government was delaying its reply to the Supreme Court to avoid committing the Rs 229 crore for the project.

Rationale of night travel ban

In a combined meeting of the experts from Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and National Tiger Conservation Authority in March, the principal chief conservator of forest, Karnataka, observed that hectic movement of elephants was happening on the National Highway 212 during day time itself.

Causing disturbances during night time too will lead to increased man-animal conflict. A minimum of 12 hours is needed for peaceful movement and existence of wildlife, he argued.