Bannerghatta Biological Park
Credit: DH file photo
Bengaluru: Days after the clearance from the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL), the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has sought to clear the path for building a six-lane elevated highway inside the Bannerghatta National Forest (BNP).
A flyover, part of the satellite township ring road (STRR), will be built on the 3.85 km stretch of the existing road connecting Bannerghatta and Jigani Road. The NHAI has assured the NBWL that the elevation will continue on a 1 km stretch of road on both sides of the BNP core area.
Officials have sought diversion of the 27 acre 18 gunta of core area of BNP along with 14 acres in the buffer zone. The NBWL cleared the project based on the condition that the existing road will be abandoned after the construction of the flyover, which will have a clearance of over 26 feet, allowing the free movement of wild animals. Bannerghatta hosts sizeable number of elephants, leopards and two tigers among other wild animals.
The NHAI had proposed to install noise barriers to reduce the impact of vehicle movement on the animals. The wildlife clearance was accompanied with the condition that construction work should not happen before sunrise and after sunset to avoid disturbance to animals.
With the state government’s peripheral ring road (PRR) not taking off, the STRR’s promise bypass route through a ring road connecting Dobbspet-Hoskote-Hosur-Ramangar-Magadi, is seen as a major intervention in reducing interstate traffic inside Bengaluru.
In November, the NHAI inaugurated a 34-km stretch of the ring road for traffic on the Dabaspet-Devanahalli-Hoskote section. Officials are negotiating with the Tamil Nadu government on land acquisition and other issues in Krishnagiri district (Hosur).
NHAI Regional Officer V P Brahmankar said the work in the BNP section will begin after getting the clearances from the forest advisory committee (FAC).
“Work on the 8-km elevated corridor will begin soon after the FAC clearance and we will abide by all the conditions. The completion of the STRR will resolve major connectivity issues. We are taking up the works in bits and pieces wherever we get all the necessary clearances. At present, we are working with the Tamil Nadu government to resolve land acquisition issues,” he said.
The FAC will look into the project’s impact on the forest ecosystem by diversion of land in the core area and ESZ. The committee has to decide on the request to cut 1288 trees in the core area and the compensatory afforestation measures to be followed.