No elevated corridor in Bandipur Tiger Reserve: K’taka govt

• No written approval given for the project

Bengaluru: A day after Karnataka’s Minister for Public Works (PWD), HD Revanna, told the media that the state government was willing to construct flyovers within the highly eco-sensitive Bandipur Tiger Reserve, the minister has backtracked and said that his department has not given any consent for the proposed central government’s project along national highway 212 that connects Kerala and Karnataka.

State’s Minister for Environment and Forests, R Shankar refuted Revanna’s earlier statement on giving approval and said that the ministry had already written to the Centre, stating that work on the project cannot be done.

“No elevated corridor will be constructed. We will uphold the High Court ruling of banning vehicles from entering the reserve forest area at night. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had written to the Karnataka Chief Secretary, asking the state government to give environmental clearance for the project. But our ministry has written back saying that we will not take up the project as it will endanger the tiger population,” explained Mr. Shankar.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy also gave justification and said that the state government had not given any written consent for the construction of flyovers in the reserve or to lift the night travel ban through the sanctuary.

The CM also instructed the officials to inform the Centre that the state is opposed to lifting the night traffic ban and building elevated roads through the reserve.

The government is likely to bank on the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Supreme Court, as getting a clearance for the project and for lifting the night travel ban is next to impossible.