The Assam forest department’s move to undertake a feasibility study for diverting traffic from the 100-km stretch of NH 37, which passes through the Kaziranga National Park, has been welcomed by wildlife groups and environmentalists. They believe that this measure will bring to an end the accidental deaths of wild animals caused by speeding vehicles.
The good thing is the forest department seems to be taking an uncompromising stand on the matter this time. “So what if the local people of Kaziranga want the existing highway to be four-lane?” asked Suresh Chand, principal chief conservator of Assam forests. “We are more interested in what the wildlife groups want.”
The plan is now to build a four-lane road through Tezpur on the north bank of the Brahmaputra so as to divert the traffic that will then cross the Brahmaputra to return to the southern side of the river near Bokakhat, says Chand.
The Kaziranga National Park is divided by the Brahmaputra and water bodies connected to it, forcing animals to cross over to the drier, greener areas during the annual floods in search of food. That’s where the problem arises, with NH 37 cutting right across the animals’ traditional tracks, resulting in the current spate of killings. Officials say speeding vehicles kill around 55 animals on an average every year on the NH 37 in the vicinity of the Kaziranga National Park.
At stake, along with the lives of the animals, is the status of the World Heritage Site of Kaziranga. “Upgrading the national highway will transform the already problematic road crossing into an impossible barrier for the wildlife,” UNESCO’s Heritage Committee had said in its 32nd annual report, which it is believed prompted the Centre to shelve plans to build a four-lane on the existing highway through Kaziranga. The feasibility study of the proposed bypass is underway and is expected to take 18 months to complete.
Once over, it would be submitted to the ministry of surface transport. After receiving its nod, preparation of the detailed project report would be taken up.
Wildlife activists are happy with the development. “Several animals were killed due to a two-lane highway. Can you imagine what a four-lane highway will do?” asks Parbati Barua, an elephant specialist and the world’s only woman mahout.
She further added: “Can you imagine the number of trees that will be felled and the damage it will do to the park’s ecological balance? And what of Kaziranga’s local people who believe that diverting the traffic will have an adverse impact on their economic development? The Kaziranga National Park is such a beautiful place that people will continue to visit it. We need to make sure that the animals are safe.”
The good thing is the forest department seems to be taking an uncompromising stand on the matter this time. “So what if the local people of Kaziranga want the existing highway to be four-lane?” asked Suresh Chand, principal chief conservator of Assam forests. “We are more interested in what the wildlife groups want.”
The plan is now to build a four-lane road through Tezpur on the north bank of the Brahmaputra so as to divert the traffic that will then cross the Brahmaputra to return to the southern side of the river near Bokakhat, says Chand.
The Kaziranga National Park is divided by the Brahmaputra and water bodies connected to it, forcing animals to cross over to the drier, greener areas during the annual floods in search of food. That’s where the problem arises, with NH 37 cutting right across the animals’ traditional tracks, resulting in the current spate of killings. Officials say speeding vehicles kill around 55 animals on an average every year on the NH 37 in the vicinity of the Kaziranga National Park.
At stake, along with the lives of the animals, is the status of the World Heritage Site of Kaziranga. “Upgrading the national highway will transform the already problematic road crossing into an impossible barrier for the wildlife,” UNESCO’s Heritage Committee had said in its 32nd annual report, which it is believed prompted the Centre to shelve plans to build a four-lane on the existing highway through Kaziranga. The feasibility study of the proposed bypass is underway and is expected to take 18 months to complete.
Once over, it would be submitted to the ministry of surface transport. After receiving its nod, preparation of the detailed project report would be taken up.
Wildlife activists are happy with the development. “Several animals were killed due to a two-lane highway. Can you imagine what a four-lane highway will do?” asks Parbati Barua, an elephant specialist and the world’s only woman mahout.
She further added: “Can you imagine the number of trees that will be felled and the damage it will do to the park’s ecological balance? And what of Kaziranga’s local people who believe that diverting the traffic will have an adverse impact on their economic development? The Kaziranga National Park is such a beautiful place that people will continue to visit it. We need to make sure that the animals are safe.”
No comments:
Post a Comment