3 underpasses to be built for animals’ smooth movement
BATHINDA: To ensure safe passage for wildlife at Abohar’s Shri Guru Jambeshwar wildlife sanctuary, state authorities are to construct 3 underpasses on the upcoming road-widening project. The move comes with the proposal to widen the 50.88 km road stretch, from Abohar town of Fazilka district bypass connecting to Dabwali in the adjoining part of Haryana.
The Abohar-Dabwali road (national highway-354E) will be widened from 5.5 m to 10 m and about 17 km of the highway project will pass through the sanctuary, an eco-sensitive zone. Spread over 180 sq kms on the private lands of 13 villages, the sanctuary is a natural habitat of blackbucks, nilgais, jackals, wild boars and other species.
Sources said an approval by National Board for Wildlife was mandatory before starting work within the sanctuary.
Chief wildlife warden Kuldeep Kumar Lomis told HT that three underpasses are to be constructed near Sito Gunno village as a part of the human-wildlife mitigation plan for the sanctuary. Lomis said the plan has been changed accordingly on the basis of a wildlife safety audit study conducted Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in April this year.
“NBWL has duly approved the recommendation of WII. The public works department (PWDbridges and roads) has been instructed to redesign the widening and strengthening of AboharDabwali road (national highway354E) to ensure safety and conservation of the wildlife,” said Lomis.
Hamesh Mittal, sub-divisional officer, PWD (central works) at Abohar, said they will ensure four crossing points for wild animals, animal-friendly fencing and signages at every 500 m throughout the sanctuary. “Work as per modifications will soon begin,” he added.
According to WII’s field inspection report, widening of the proposed highway will degrade the natural habitat of wildlife on the sides of the road and will become more fragmented. “It also found that roads will divide animal populations into more or less isolated subpopulations and connectivity among habitats and populations of wild animals will be lost. The widening of road will act as a barrier and may prevent movement of wild animals,” reads the 17-page wildlife safety report. Loss of green cover
The project will also lead to a loss of green cover over around 48 hectares. Official sources told HT that more than 5,000 trees may be felled in the sanctuary zone in Sito Gunno tehsil of Fazilka district. Nearly 9,000 trees will be felled in Abohar and Muktsar forest ranges for the road project that is scheduled to be completed in July 2020.