Once again, NHAI proposes to build ring road through BNP

BENGALURU: In a move that’s likely to rile green activists, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has once again decided to develop a satellite town ring road (STRR) running through the eco-sensitive zone of Bannerghatta National Park (BNP). The idea is to connect Ramanagara in Karnataka with Hosur in Tamil Nadu.
NHAI has sought 11 hectares of land inside BNP to construct STRR. In 2018, following stiff resistance from locals and the state forest department, the authority had dropped its idea of constructing a 4-km elevated corridor and planned to “revisit” the project.
In August this year, NHAI wrote a fresh letter of justification saying there was no other alternative route to be considered as this was the shortest and with the “least ecological impact”, which would help in “significantly reducing human-animal conflict”.
NHAI said the project will significantly decongest Bengaluru. “Development of this highway will ensure better, faster and uninterrupted connectivity, without the need to enter the city. This will play a vital role in reducing Bengaluru’s pollution caused by the current traffic congestion,” read the NHAI letter to MoEF. NHAI project director SP Somashekar said the decision to construct the elevated stretch was taken after careful consideration.