BENGALURU: Under the Bharatmala project, the National Highways Authority of India has taken up work on the new national highway (NH 169A) from Thirthahalli to Malpe, where the road has been proposed to be developed as a two to four-lane highway.

Here, 400 trees have already been marked for cutting between Thirthahalli and Megaravalli in Shivamogga district. A six-phase project, work on a 16km stretch between these towns has already begun.This highway will be a four-lane on the Kulshekar-Moodabidri-Karkala section. Highway officials say that 180 hectares of land is required for a 45km stretch between Kulshekar and Karkala. The finalized route of this long-pending road project is Thirthahalli-Megaravalli-Agumbe-Hebri-Malpe.

However, the national highway scythes through verdant forests in Shivamogga and Udupi districts, and through Agumbe reserve forest (considered the Cherrapunji of Karnataka) and Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary. Despite falling in the eco-sensitive area of the Western Ghats, excavation of large quantities of soil has been taken up in the past few weeks.

As per environmentalists in this area, if permission is granted from Agumbe to Malpe, the number of trees lost will not be less than a lakh.

At present, two-lane work has started from Thirthahalli to Megaravalli, with around 400 trees being marked for cutting on both sides of the road, in revenue land tracts. However, permission has not been given to widen the stretch between Agumbe and Hebri, as this falls in the reserve forests and Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary .

According to Sahadeva S H of Paschima Ghatta Jaagruthi Vedike, this densely forested habitat in the Western Ghats, that is home to endangered and rare flora and fauna, is fragile and will not be able to withstand such infrastructure projects.