The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has come under scanner for allegedly neglecting the afforestation works to compensate felling of trees along the National Highway 66 from Karwar to Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district.
Western Ghats Task Force former chairman, Anant Hegde Ashisar told the presspersons here on Thursday that nearly 25,000 trees and 700 acres of forest land would be lost for widening 160 kms stretch of NH in Uttara Kananda district. The Forest Department had handed over forest lands measuring 84 hectares in Karwar and 63 hectares in Honnavar division along with 76 acres of non-forest lands and 50 acres of mangrove forests to the NHAI and the NHAI had deposited Rs. 81 crore with the Government as compensation funds.
As per the agreement with the Forest Department the NHAI had to plant the saplings on either sides of the NH and take care of their maintenance for seven years. Nearly 30,000 saplings were required for this purpose. But the NHAI was not taking up the task seriously. While the action plan was yet to be prepared, the officials gave flying replies when queried about the afforestation plans. Even the Forest Department was not pushing up the matter seriously, he said.
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Uttara Kannada district had already lost nearly 1.5 lakh acres of forests for various mega projects. The carrying capacity study report prepared by the Indian Institute of Science had suggested against further destruction of forests here. The NHAI should not neglect afforestation. The works of road construction and tree plantation should go hand-in-hand. The State government should re-launch the ‘Karavali Hasiru Kavacha’ scheme to revive biodiversity in this region and provide Rs. five crore for the Karwar and Honnavar forest divisions to develop nursery and other facilities, Mr. Ashisar said.