The proposed 14km road is near the controversial railway track and is part of State Highway 111 that connects Visavadar with Sasan. Wildlife experts believe that turning it into a pucca road would be highly damaging to Gir. This will lead to an increase in speeding vehicles, which can lead to accidents with wild animals.
BJP MP from Junagadh Rajesh Chudasama wrote a letter Union Ministry of Forests On 21 September, sought speedy approval for the project. The letter said the project was proposed by the Roads and Buildings Department in April.
The department has sought permission to upgrade the highway, which is presently a kutcha road, to a bitumen surface pucca road.
“Many wildlife lovers have written to the state government objecting to the proposal. With the proposed project, the sanctuary will be divided into two parts and it will be difficult for wild animals to move from one side to the other. Revtubha RaijadaMember, Gir Sanctuary and National Park Advisory Committee.
Lions and leopards are often seen on this road. Upgrading it will give illegal visitors free access to protected areas.
“In addition to the growing threat of poaching, illegal lion shows will also increase. The strength of the falls is in its density. The increased traffic would not only disturb the lion’s corridors, but would also ruin the habitat. Free movement of big cats will be restricted and they will be confined to small areas, which will allow inbreeding.” Bhushan Pandya, a renowned wildlife photographer and expert in Gir wildlife.
There is an alternate route outside the sanctuary which needs immediate repairs. Wildlife experts say that the government should start work on this road at the earliest.
At present heavy vehicles are banned inside the sanctuary and internal roads remain closed from dusk till dawn. A forest department official said the proposal would first be placed before the state wildlife board for approval, after which it would go to the National Board for Wildlife for final approval.
The Gujarat High Court recently directed the Indian Railways to file a detailed affidavit regarding the impact of the proposed broad-gauge conversion and electrification of the railway track passing through the Gir sanctuary on lions and other wildlife in the region. The court was hearing a civil application on the proposed upgradation of railway lines and the impact of laying optical fiber along with oil and gas pipelines through the sanctuary.
Advocate Abhist said, “The tar surface of the Sasan-Kasia road running through the core of the sanctuary will lead to more deaths of small mammals and it will be dangerous for lions and leopards, as many people have died in road accidents recently. ” Thackeray, which conducts litigation for various wildlife causes.
He said that the Union Ministry of Forests, in a letter dated 22 December 2014 to the Principal Secretaries of all the State Forest Departments, has clearly stated that new roads will not be proposed inside National Parks and Sanctuaries. “The proposal is for a new front road and does not follow the guidelines laid down by the Union Forest Ministry,” Thakar said.
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