Tough times ahead for Kerala Forest Department

An uphill process awaits the State authorities to deliver to fruition two main initiatives for the advantage of the individuals of north Kerala.

One of them is the proposed tunnel highway, a substitute for Thamarassery Ghat cross, that connects Kozhikode and Wayanad. The proposal is to assemble a 6.8-km tunnel on the Anakkampoyil -Kalladi-Meppadi route geared toward decongesting the present Thamarassery Ghat highway.

“In fact, the project will have a beneficial effect for both Kerala and Karnataka. However, the government has to apprise the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change of the new project. The widening of the existing road can result in environment destruction. That why the previous government came up with a tunnel road proposal,” Minister for Forest and Wildlife A.K. Saseendran, mentioned.

Last yr, the Konkan Rail Corporation Limited began the survey, subject investigation, and site visitors research for the ₹658-crore two-lane tunnel highway venture. The proposal would profit hundreds of individuals as the gap from Kozhikode to Wayanad can be decreased to 54 km from the present 85 km.

Another is the development of elevated bio-fencing and flyovers over the Bandipur Tiger Reserve to avoid the night time site visitors ban by National Highway 766 that connects Karnataka and Kerala.

“Of the many options, this was one of the proposals before the government. However, the Karnataka has objected to this project. So, we need to take up the project with them again,” Mr. Saseendran mentioned.

At current, the selections of the courts had favoured the recommendations put forth by the Karnataka authorities, he mentioned. Attempts to revoke the decade-old night time site visitors ban on the forest stretch of the highway additionally yielded no outcomes.

Two years in the past, the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways had proposed the ₹460-crore venture to kind out the problem between Kerala and Karnataka on ban on the freeway from 9 p.m. to six a.m. However, the proposal to assemble 5 elevated sections of 1-km stretch, of which 4 can be at Bandipur and one in Wayanad on the freeway, was but to get clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Successive governments in Karnataka, Mr. Saseendran mentioned, remained unchanged on the problem. “The Wildlife Department should not act and function like activists. Environmentalists confine to their sphere of activity. But governments should not take extreme steps. It will have to protect forests, take up issues of the people and undertake development programmes,” he mentioned.

Earlier, the federal government got here up with a proposal to develop a highway by way of Panamaram-Payyambilli-Kutta-Gonikuppa. However, individuals in Wayanad district opposed the proposal saying that the choice highway would additionally should cross by forests.

Now the federal government will even have to consider another reminiscent of the development of Valluvadi-Chikkabargi Bypass for which the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre had given a proposal to the federal government.