The Nilgiris district administration has proposed a road that would cut through the core area of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode and the buffer zone of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in Udhagamandalam. The 10-km road is to connect residents of three villages in Thengumarahada, Kallampalayam and Alli Moyar to the Bhavani Sagar area.
Conservationists warn that the plan could spell trouble for wildlife in the critical habitat of Thengumarahada.
Lack of access
Residents have long demanded that a road be laid to the Thengumarahada section, located along the Nilgiris’ northeastern slope in the MTR buffer zone, complaining of a lack of access to basic facilities, including healthcare.
They have been demanding a bridge across the Moyar at Kallampalayam, as crossing the river becomes difficult during the monsoon.
Nilgiris Collector Innocent Divya told The Hindu that the district administration had applied for clearance from the National Board for Wildlife for laying the road. She expected the clearance to come through by next month.
It was estimated that the construction of the road and the bridge would cost around ₹9 crore.
Threat to wildlife
Conservationists argued that a road built through such an important habitat for unique and critically endangered species of wildlife, including the Asian king vulture, the elephant and the tiger, could be disastrous for local wildlife.
N. Mohanraj, a prominent conservationist in the Nilgiris, said that apart from ecological concerns, it was better in the long term for people residing in the Thengumarahada section to be relocated outside the tiger reserves. “While my support is with the communities inhabiting the region, a majority of the population living in the Thengumarahada section has wanted to move out for a very long time,” he said.
The area is incredibly difficult for them to live in due to logistical and administrative constraints. To get to Thengumarahada from Udhagamandalam, government officials need to first come to Mettupalayam, then Bhavani Sagar in Erode, before re-entering the Nilgiris border.
Mr. Mohanraj said that there was already a motorable road connecting the villages of Alli Moyar, Thengumarahada and Kallampalayam, adding that the laying of a road to Bhavani Sagar could have repercussions for local wildlife.
When contacted, A.K. Ulaganathan, Field Director of the MTR, said that a road could only be laid if the National Board for Wildlife allowed it.
