The expert committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change’s (MoEF&CC) has sent back the state highway authority’s proposal for diverting about 100 acres forest and felling over 12,000 trees to expand state highway – 85 for lack of clarity on the project.
The panel has advised the state government to reconsider the project and provide full details.
Under the Phase 3 of the Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project (KSHIP), the government had sought 97 acres of forest in Tumakuru, Ramanagar and Hassan districts to widen the road between Magadi and Somwarpet. Officials had said the road will be converted into a two-lane carriageway with paved shoulders.
