Over 1,000 trees face the axe for National Highway widening work near Hosapete

Over a thousand trees are set to be axed for the widening of national highway-63 in the taluk. The highway, connecting Hosapete with Ballari provides link to Guntkal Road the Andhra Pradesh border.

A good number of these had been spared the axe by translocating them. But those that cannot be shifted will be cut down on the 62.5-km stretch, out of the 95.37 km of the NH taken up for four-laning. A sizeable number of the trees have already been axed. Trees that have been cut are in front of the Ballari Thermal Power Station and areas near Toranagal, Kurekuppa and Gadiganuru, making them look like barren lands. They include neem, tamarind and other species.

Trees numbering 150 to 200 on the highway have found their way to Daroji bear sanctuary among other places. Banyan and peepal are tree species that can regenerate in their locations. Other trees will have to be cut as there is no other go, said an officer of the Forest department.

S G Sanjeev, project manager of the National Highways Authority of India, echoed the feeling. He said work on four-laning of the highway would be completed by the end of March 2019. Sanjeev said saplings will be planted on either side of the highway to compensate for the loss of trees. But unavailability of water could be a problem for them, the officer said. Gammon company is undertaking the road construction work.

But environmentalists are not happy with the mass felling of trees. Samad Kottur, a tree lover and bird enthusiast, says the first thing that is done before widening roads in our country is axing of trees. In some countries, the road alignment is changed to protect the trees. “Why can’t it be done here also?” Kottur said. He says trees on one side, at least, could have been left as it is.