Social Activist Starts Online Campaign Against Uttarakhand CM's Decision To Construct Highway Through Corbett Park
The petition warns that highway will have serious implications on wildlife.
The Trivendra Singh Rawat government¡¯s decision to construct the Kandi road has irked a number of wildlife activists.
More recently, Ashish Garg, a wildlife enthusiast, has started an online campaign against what he calls, "unusual and most annoying decision" taken to by the newly appointed CM to construct the ¡®Kandi¡¯ highway right through core of Corbett Park.
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The Kandi highway is touted to improve the connectivity between Kumaon and Garhwal. However the road falls in a highly protected areas which can have huge ramifications for the wildlife.
In the petition, Garg writes, "The path of wild animals would be completely obstructed and new territories would be created thus bringing an imbalance in living patterns of wild animals."
"The endeavor to carpet the Kandi road had barely started in 2001, but the poaching of some 8 elephants in the same year exposed the vulnerability of wild animals safety," claims the petitioner.
Garg wrote that the Supreme Court refused Kandi road to be used for public transportation.
However the court approved an alternative alignments which allowed travelling on 12 km stretch on the border of Kalagarh forest division and towards Garhwali Colony.
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According to Garg, "There is BJP government in Uttarakhand, UP and Centre so it would be easy to draw a consensus to get a road through Amangarh, Badapur and Sauwala of UP which will reduce the travelling time from Haridwar to Ramnagar by three hours. So this route is feasible than Kandi road which passes through the core of the tiger habitat in Corbett. "
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The petition has already garnered 785 supporters and needs to 200 more to go through.
You can read the full petition below:
Sir
We , as aware citizen would like to bring to your notice an unusual and most annoying decision taken by you to construct ¡®Kandi¡¯ highway right through core of Corbett Park connecting Garhwal and Kumaun. As learnt, it is intended to reduce travelling time by mere two hours. And all this is being done to make lives of humans convenient so that they can reach their destination bit early travelling into their luxury cars.
Sir, before this road could be taken up for construction, following facts which has huge ramifications on environment, wildlife and biodiversity also needs to be taken into account in larger interest of ecology and looming large threat of climate change.
1. Not only, it would kill thousands of trees and living lives dependent on these trees but shall also disturb in a big way, the wild life. The path of wild animals would be completely obstructed and new territories would be created thus bringing an imbalance in living patterns of wild animals.
2.This would certainly initiate concretisation and real estate mushrooming across the length of this highway. A beautiful forest which James Corbett conceived is already seeing ingress of lacs of visitors and affecting wild life, would be turning into a human habitat and endanger wild life badly in long run.
3. Wildlife officials have also warned of serious implications for wildlife animals, especially tigers, if the Kandi road which passes through Corbett Tiger Reserve is permitted for vehicles
4. EIA (Environment Impact Statement) study is yet to be done for the project which is the preliminary requirement to take up any such project. If already done, this needs to be referred for its ill-effects.
5. Also long ago such an endeavour to carpet the Kandi road had started in 2001 but was halted when poaching of some 8 elephants in the same year exposed the vulnerability of wild animals safety from poachers in Corbett . The road would also encourage encroachment by people as has happened in Amangarh forests in UP on south side of Corbett.
6. Earlier Supreme Court refused Kandi road to be used for public transportation. Instead SC approved as one of other alternative alignments which permitted travelling on 12 km stretch in the Uttar Pardesh on the border of Kalagarh forest division and towards Garhwali Colony.
7. There are some precedents to such situations too. E.g., The NH is diverted to other side to other (north) side of Brahmaputra to avoid road passing through in middle of Kaziranga park to avoid disturbing of wild life. The NGT had earlier ordered a ban on roadside shops and eateries along the animal corridors near Kaziranga, among a slew of directions in the wake of increasing wildlife casualties due to vehicular movement on the adjacent highway.
Instead Sir, most feasible solution would be to construct a road through Amangarh, Badapur and Sauwala of UP which will reduce the travelling time from Haridwar to Ramnagar by three hours. Since there is BJP government in Uttarakhand, UP and Centre so it would be easy to draw a consensus. This route is feasible than Kandi road which passes through the core of the tiger habitat in Corbett. This way conservation can be balanced in this case by creating a model while meeting the ecologically needs.
With above facts, we earnestly appeal for pass necessary instructions to halt the process for construction of this road immediately in the interest of preservation of wild life of Corbett park.
Regards
