Forest department and NHAI undertake site visit

Nelyadi-Addaholay: After a series of human-elephant confrontations in the towns and villages in the fringe areas of the Western Ghats, the Forest department has decided to make it safer for both humans and elephants. In joint consultations with the National Highways Authority of India, (NHAI) the elephant corridor will get an underpass for the pachyderms to pass safely into the deeper forests without confronting humans.

The Nelyadi-Addaholay is a difficult terrain to take the highway widening project and several issues pertaining to gradience need at least 140 meters of passage for the highway which is under construction. The NHAI plans to widen the existing highway (NH 75). But the forest department has pointed out that a certain part of the 54 hectares on the stretch between Nelyadi-Addaholay happens to be the wildlife crossing corridor and the highway widening my cut through the elephant corridor and the elephant herds may wander into the fringe areas of the western Ghats and confront humans.

"In fact when we had initial meetings at the site along with the NHAI officers a revolutionary idea came up for discussion. It was about taking the highway overhead just like we have elevated highways in other places. This would not interfere with the elephant crossings in any way. When the elevated highway is completed the forest department can regrow forests underneath and restore the corridor for wildlife crossing" Said Dr YK Dinesh Kumar Deputy Conservator of Forests told Hans India.

This is the first time in these parts of the country that an elevated highway would feature among the western Ghats. The NHAI is also excited about the proposal. It is a challenging job as we may have to redraft the existing plan of road widening and also study the gradience and many other approaches on both sides of the project an official who was in the meeting with the forest department told Hans India.

The initial idea generated on this front envisages a 75 meters wide elevated highway as per the allowance of the forest department by the NHAI wanted a standard 140 meters wide space.

It could be recalled that in recent times there are many incidences of elephant-human confrontation and the most recent was the one in which two people were gored to death by a wild elephant in Renjiladi in Sullia taluk.