Move to build highway poses threat to tigers

Saffron81

Editor

posted on 13 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

32
views

PRAKASHAM: The state government's decision of going ahead with the proposed highway works in the Nallamala reserve forest area is ..

PRAKASHAM: The state government's decision of going ahead with the proposed highway works in the Nallamala reserve forest area is posing a serious threat to the tiger population. Despite the proposed project drew a firm opposition from the environmentalists, animal lovers and voluntary organisations, the government gave a green signal for the execution of the proposed 330 km highway works. R B chief engineer K Shiva Reddy confirmed that the Union government had given green signal for the first phase of the works.
As per the National Highway Authority of India(NHAI) proposal, the 330kmroad would pass through Kalvakurthy, Srisailam, Dornala, Atmakuru and Nandyala, of which a stretch of 200 km falls under the Nallamala forest range, a major tiger habitat in the state. Environmentalists fear the proposed project is a serious threat to the existing tiger population in the forest area. " Construction of roads through the forest is a violation of the guidelines for a tiger reserve, the status conferred on Nallamala range," say an environmentalist.

The Union government had declared 3,563 sq.km of the 6,500 sqkm of Nallamala forest as a tiger reserve long ago. As per the latest survey, there are 80 tigers in the forest range, where movement of vehicles was declared banned from Dornala near Srisailam following a Supreme Court verdict.

With the proposed national highway in the forest, the habitat of the tigers would be reduced further, say environmentalists.