Work on the expansion of the controversial Manjoor to Velliangadu Road, which activists believe could have a negative impact on the wildlife living in the area, was inaugurated by the Nilgiris District Collector J. Innocent Divya recently.
Conservationists said that a variety of wildlife, including elephants, tigers, and threatened species of birds like the Great Indian Hornbill could be affected by increased traffic along the route.
N. Mohanraj, a conservationist based in the Nilgiris, said that while road expansion work may not have a huge impact on a herd of elephants that have become resident in the area, and in fact may facilitate their upward expansion into new territories and lead to the herd getting closer to human habitations, a variety of other wildlife, like the Great Indian Hornbill, which are known to nest in large numbers in the area could be impacted, while the chances of wildlife being killed in road kills will also increase, he said.
“The elephants are known to use the existing road to move between forest patches, and in fact may find it easier to navigate between landscapes due to the expansion of the road, but there have to be measures taken to mitigate the negative impact the road may have on other species of wildlife,” said Mr. Mohanraj.
Officials from the National Highways, who are to complete the project at a cost of almost ₹ 27 crore, said that the road would be expanded from the existing span of around 11 feet to 18 feet, and said that there would be minimum felling of trees during the process of constructing the road.
“There would be work done to strengthen retaining walls and improving the hairpin bends along the route, and when it is finally completed in 2020, we expect that it will serve as an alternative route to reach Udhagamandalam from Coimbatore,” said the official.
Highly placed sources in the Forest Department said that the initial proposal had sought permission for the expansion of the road to more than three times its current size, but the proposal had been rejected on the grounds that there were naturally growing species of indigenous trees and scheduled timber on each side of the road, and also because expansion of the road would have a negative impact on the wildlife living there. The department has also denied permission to the highways to cut down trees along the road during the process of constructing the road, sources said.
“While designing the road, there could be a dialogue between the designers and conservationists to ensure that the impact on wildlife caused by the expansion of the road remains limited,” added Mr. N Mohanraj.