Roadside safety pillars, to be installed along a highway stretch passing through an important elephant corridor in M.M. Hills area, have drawn flak from conservationists as there is fear that they will obstruct movement of animals.
The precast cement pillars have already been dumped on the site in preparation for installation along a portion of the highway that passes through the Doddasampige-Edyarahalli elephant corridor in Kollegal taluk of Chamarajanagar district.
The Dodasampige-Edyarahalli corridor is recognised by conservationists and the Forest Department as a vital link between Biligiri Rangaswamy Tiger Reserve and Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, and is frequently used by elephants and other wild animals. Besides, the corridor has been identified as crucial for gene dispersal and in the recovery of the wildlife population. Sources say though the Forest Department has stalled the works for the time being, there is tremendous pressure on it to allow the work to be completed.
The installation of the barrier comes at a time when the department itself has removed solar fences and filled up trenches bisecting the elephant migratory path so as to ensure that connectivity is not broken. This corridor is approximately 1.6 km wide and is divided by State Highway 38 connecting Kollegal in Karnataka and Hasanur in Tamil Nadu.
Activists have complained that the fencing undertaken by the Public Works Department will become a barrier for wildlife movement between the protected areas and lead to increased man-animal conflict. Citing various studies, they say that elephants, tigers, leopards, sloth bears, chitals and other wild animals regularly use the wildlife corridor for crossing from one sanctuary to the other. According to activists, the installation of barriers in the corridor could not only obstruct movement of wildlife, but also force animals to take a detour and inadvertently walk into adjoining agricultural lands.
Legal issues
Apart from the conservation issues, there are legal aspects in play. The wildlife corridor, as defined by the Government of India, is included within the eco-sensitive zone. Any construction on this part of the road must, therefore, be undertaken with permission from the State Wildlife Board, the National Board for Wildlife, and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Karnataka. Sources say the Public Works Department has not obtained any such permission.
Forest Dept. to disallow work
Deputy Conservator of Forests V. Yadukondalu has said that the Forest Department will not allow the construction of roadside barriers along the highway cutting through the Edyarahalli elephant corridor.
When his attention was drawn to precast cement pillars dumped along the highway, he said he had spoken to the department concerned and directed officials not to take up the work. “I will convene a meeting and explain why the seemingly innocuous act of constructing safety pillars could increase human-animal conflict in the surrounding farmlands,” he said.
