As recently reported in State Newspapers at the end of March, 2018, the
development of a proposed new Express Highway will put local forests in Danger.
About 100 hectares of reserve forest land in Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri
and Salem districts will be destroyed to make way for the proposed Rs
10,000-crore Chennai-Salem Green Corridor Express Highway project. The
sprawling 100 hectares of forest land identified for the project include thick
forest cover in 16 reserve forest areas along Arani, Polur, Chengam, Sathanur,
Tiruvannamalai, Therthamalai, Harur and North Shevaroy ranges in northern
district of Tamil Nadu.
The reserve forest areas are Siruvanjur in Chengalpattu forest range, A
Pinjur in Sathanur, Sorakolathur in Tiruvannamalai, Nambedu in Arani,
Alialamangalam in Polur, and Munnarmangalam, Anandavadi and Ravandavadi in
Chengam range, Puvampatti and Puvampatti Extension in Theerthamalai forest
range, Nonanganur and Pallipatti Extension in Harur ranges in Dhamapuri
district; Manjavadi Ghat and Jarugumalai in Shervaroy North range in Salem
district.
The National Highways Authority of India assessed that about 100
hectares of forest land in reserve forest area would have to be destroyed for
the green corridor express project. “In addition to this, out of 274.3 km road,
a total of 23 km road has to be laid in reserve forest land that pass through
16 forest villages,” said the communication.
The National Highways Authority of India also urged the State
government to identify alternative land for the forest department in the
neighbhouring vicinity and also sought the government to accord early clearance
from the forest department.
The reserve forest area is home to hundreds of animals and several bird
species, besides functioning as lungs for villages in Northern Tamil Nadu. Environmentalists
in Tiruvannamalai district had already opposed the move and sought details on
the number of trees to be destroyed and other possible environmental damage the
project could cause.
• About 100 hectares of reserve forest land in Tiruvannamalai,
Dharmapuri and Salem districts to make way for the highway project
• To reduce 57 km travel distance between Chennai and Salem, MORTH
proposed Rs 10k crore project
• Total of 2343 hectares of land to be acquired
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