Kawal Tiger Reserve under threat from proposed BT road
The proposed road will connect interior areas of Allampalli where the country’s 1st landmine blast was triggered by Naxals on Aug 16, 1987
ADILABAD: In a shocking development, the forest department is likely to give clearance for laying a 10-km BT road from the main road of Bheersaipet in Utnoor mandal to Allampalli village. The BT road is likely to come up in the core area of Kawal tiger reserve.
Dharmajipet is the last village of Utnoor mandal and the remaining distance up to Allampalli comes under Kadam mandal in Nirmal district.
It is leant that the Telangana state board for wildlife has convened a meeting for September 7, wherein, it is expected to accord permission for laying the BT road.
It is learnt that after conducting a survey on Saturday, forest officials have agreed to give permission for laying 5 km BT road with 4 m width (single road) and construction of bridges at two different places en-route Allampalli, where presently a gravel road exists.
It is said that the proposed BT road will improve road connectivity to Allampalli and its surrounding villages, including Addala Thimmapur, Meesala Bhumanna Gudem, Chinthaguda, Gangannapet and Mangalsingh Thanda.
A ring road is likely in the near future from Allampalli to Kadam via Gangapur village through the core area of the Kawal reserve, according to sources.
Jeeyar Educational Trust has been running a gurukul at Allampalli from 2004. News is making rounds in political circles that Chinna Jeeyer Swamy used his personal relations with Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao to get a clearance for the proposed road in the core area of the reserve.
It is learnt that forest officials were asked to send a clearance proposal for the proposed road. A team from National Tiger Conservation Authority and panchayat raj conducted a survey. Adilabad conservator of forests Rama Lingam, Kawal tiger reserve field director C.P. Vinod Kumar visited some villages and interacted with the locals of Allampalli as part of their survey. The villagers brought to their notice the problems that they were facing in the absence of good road connectivity, which is also impacting children studying in the Gurukul.
Khanapur MLA Ajmeera Rekha Naik had also brought the proposed road to the notice of the Chief Minister, urging him to ensure clearance from the forest department.
Vehicle movement is likely to disturb animals in the forest and also affect conservation of wildlife in the tiger reserve.
The proposed road will connect the interior areas of Allampalli where the country’s first landmine blast was triggered by Naxalites killing 10 policemen on August 16, 1987.
Forest officials are forced to give permission for laying roads even in the core area of Kawal tiger reserve under political pressure but they are not giving permission for laying roads in the Kawal reserve buffer zone people are suffering due to lack of road connectivity.
Thudumdebba district president Godam Ganesh said “there are incidents where pregnant women and patients suffering from health problems had lost their lives due to delays in reaching hospitals. It is time forest officials give permission for laying roads wherever required in the agency and forest areas to save lives of people.”