Centre Approves Road Project in Andhra Pradesh Tiger Corridor

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has proposed utilizing over 40 hectares of forest land from the tiger corridor that links the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) and the Sri Venkateswara National Park in Andhra Pradesh. This recommendation comes as part of the second phase of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, aimed at developing expressways, economic corridors, and inter-corridors, as per the minutes of a recent meeting.

Spanning across 3,296.31 square kilometers, the NSTR stands as the largest tiger reserve in the country. Situated adjacent to Telangana's Amrabad tiger reserve, it hosts the largest tiger population in the Eastern Ghat landscape, estimated at around 72 tigers.

The proposed road passing through the tiger corridor covers a distance of approximately five kilometers. To mitigate the impact, the project suggests the construction of three tunnels, four minor bridges, seven viaducts, and two culverts. Additionally, an animal passage with a length of about three kilometers on both sides has been planned.

The member-secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has indicated that the proposed mitigation measures seem sufficient and has recommended their adoption.

The corridor, known as the Nagarjunasagar-Sri Venkateswara NP Corridor, traverses forested habitats and includes three protected areas—the Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary, the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Sri Penusila Narasimha Wildlife Sanctuary.

Several state highways intersect this corridor, including highways 31, 34, 56, and 57, emphasizing the necessity for wildlife passageways and suitable mitigation measures, as stated in the environment ministry's "Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India-2022" report.

The report underscores the importance of maintaining the functionality of the corridor to facilitate natural dispersal of tigers, especially as the tiger density within the NSTR continues to rise. The corridor plays a crucial role in supporting this population block, which has the potential to sustain approximately 400 tigers if the wild ungulate population is restored, according to the report.

BS