The Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR), which encircles the city between Dobbspet and Hosur, may come at the cost of more than 30,000 trees and traverse elephant corridors.
The proposal, which is being implemented by National Highway Authority of India, has received a nod to conduct detailed studies and environment impact assessment (EIA). The nod came from the Ministry of Environment and Forests during the recent 195th meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on infrastructure.
“As per the initial assessment, it is anticipated that on an average about 200 trees are likely to be affected per km,” says the EAC on the 179-km project. While a detailed assessment of actual number of trees will be taken up in the coming months under the EIA study, an extrapolation of this estimate pegs the tree losses at between 26,850 and 35,800.
“Efforts will be made to minimise the tree loss by restricting tree cutting... Avenue plantation shall be carried out... in order to minimise the impact of tree cutting, compensatory plantation shall be undertaken,” states the EAC in their recommendation of the project.
- Satellite Town Ring Road: 179.63 km
- Cost: ₹5,980 crore
- From Dobbspet to Hosur
- Towns connected: Dobbspet, Magadi, Ramanagaram, Kankapura, Anekal, Hosur, and Sarjapur
- Total land to be acquired in Karnataka: 1257.9 hectares
- Total land to be acquired in Tamil Nadu: 526.02 hectares
- Forests and STRR
- Total land to be acquired: 19.09 hectares
- Trees cut: 150-200 per kilometer
- Skirts Siddara Betta, Savandurga, Ramadevara Betta, Handigundi reserve forests
- 4.68 km elevated corridor above Bannerghatta National Park
- At least three major elephant corridors
The project is divided into three phases of which the second phase involves a 4.68 km elevated road over the core areas of Bannerghatta National Park (BNP). This is the most contentious part of the ₹5,980-crore project, as it cuts across important elephant corridors that connects the park with Savandurga and other forests. Apart from this, the highway will be close to the Ramadevara Betta vulture sanctuary.
Sub-committee formed
The EAC had formed a sub-committee to look into the proposal, and the four-member team, lead by Deepak Apte who is the Director of the Bombay Natural History Society, visited the park and the sanctuary at the end of July.
The committee has recommended that all electrical transmission lines passing through BNP be placed underground while, during construction, multi-layered elephant-proof barriers be constructed to prevent human-elephant conflict. The construction plan was to be developed in consultation with the Forest Department, while after completion of the elevated road, the existing road should be ‘decommissioned’ for vehicles within a year.
“This will make available the entire 7 km-stretch of road as an uninterrupted elephant corridor truly serving the purpose of the elevated road,” says the sub-committee in their report.
However, for the Forest Department, which had pointed to at least three major corridors of herbivore movement across the proposed road, the proposal will have adverse impact on the forests despite mitigation measures. “There are other roads around Bengaluru, which can be used or increased in capacity. But the proponents insist on this road... But, there is a long way before construction, including approvals from the State Board of Wildlife and National Board of Wildlife during which time a large number of experts will give their views on this,” said a senior forest official.
The department told the sub-committee that the road be closed to the public, and two hamlets within the forest be provided direct entry to the elevated road so that the existing road can be disused.
However, an NHAI official said this was not possible, and instead villages will be provided access to the elevated road only at its descent rather than through ramps in the middle of the elevated road. “The present road will be used by villagers while the main traffic will bypass the forest,” he said.
Vulture sanctuary
The current STRR alignment skirts Ramadever Betta Vulture Sanctuary (coming within 200 metres of the eco-sensitive zone) and will have an ‘indirect impact’, said the sub-committee. They have suggested a separate fund for the conservation of vultures and creation of a vulture safe zone. Incidentally, the sanctuary will also be impacted by the proposed Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, which passes through its eco-sensitive zone.
“These will add to the cost of the project, but we have no option but to follow them,” said an NHAI official.
Mitigation measures for Bannerghatta National Park
- All electrical transmission lines should be underground
- Elephant-proof barriers during construction and ensure movement of elephants
- Plan to protect animal movement in consultation with Forest Department
- Villagers to be given access to elevated road, decommissioning of existing road 1 year after construction
- Allot funds to manage human-elephant conflict arising due to the road
Mitigation measures for Ramadeverbetta Vulture Sanctuary
- Funds under the Corporate Environment Responsibility (2% of project funds) for vulture conservation and creation of vulture safe zone
