the goan I network
BELAGAVI
Work on the Belagavi-Panaji highway, which had already been delayed due to heavy rainfall and other issues, has now hit a major roadblock.
In a major setback to the four-laning of the NH4A highway between Ramnagar and Anmod, the Karnataka High Court has stayed the felling of trees on a 14-km stretch between Londa and Anmod, which lies under the Dandeli forest range.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had begun the four-laning work on the stretch between Khanapur-Londa-Anmod from 2017.
While there was an unwarranted delay in commencing the work in the initial stages, about 22,000 trees were felled as part of the project.
Further, authorities had sought permission to cut trees between Londa and Ramnagar, to enable sufficient widening of the road.
The high court ordered a stay after hearing a public interest litigation filed by environmentalist Suresh Heblikar and United Conservation Movement convenor Joseph Hoover.
The petitioners submitted to the court that development work in the fragile and
endangered Western Ghats would further pose a threat to the lives of animals and endangered avian species.
The bench has also directed the government to submit detailed information on the number of trees felled for various projects without obtaining prior suitable permission.
The petitioners in their plea also stated that the user agency had taken up widening of 14-km stretch between Belagavi and Goa that passes through the evergreen forests of Dandeli.
“One lakh trees are expected to be axed to implement the project and required permission was not obtained from competent authorities like National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) for the work. The NHAI has not initiated any afforestation plan for the felled trees,” the petitioners argued.
