One Flyover is all that the animals needs
More than ever, flyovers are treated with contempt as many have failed to serve the purpose for which they were created. Bottlenecks at the point of convergence and dispersal and the sheer pressure of increasing vehicle numbers have caused a severe dent to the credibility of these mammoth concrete structures.
Yet, no city has escaped unscathed from the delirious fever to build flyovers and increasingly these constructions are becoming the norm even in rural regions. What we see when driving through national highways are necessities of the modern world that make our journey smooth, but one that effectively draws a curtain over much of the rural landscape. Derided, yet a favourite of planners, flyovers act like an amoeba that seems to have a mind of their own except of course where they are needed the most.
And a long flyover is needed desperately along the Dehradun-Haridwar national highway where the under siege Rajaji National Park fights a battle to survive each day. Located adjacent to the towns of Dehradun and Haridwar and surrounded by small villages, Rajaji National Park was the inspiration for several of Ruskin Bond’s stories. In the earlier days, the giant forests made Haridwar feel like a distant outpost, far removed from the idyllic charm of Dehra Dun. Infact, India’s forestry department acquired its modern avatar in the Dun Valley with countless generations of Indian Forest Service officers walking through the impenetrable layers of the luxuriant Sal forest to learn the art and science of protecting India’s forests.
But when development hit like a hammer, Dehra Dun exploded and spread in all directions. The first casualties were the silent ones, the trees. The airport expanded and the forests were cut. Roads were required and old litchi and mango trees were cut. The result is that the city and its suburbs now entangle the Rajaji National Park and other reserve forests and the traditional elephant migratory paths are all but choked.
Faced with a choice of increasing wildlife deaths along the many highways that now cut through the national park, coupled with an increasing number of devotees who throng the region during the Maha Kumbhs and annual Kawariya festivals, the ecological stability of the already stressed national park was under question. With a steady fragmentation of the animal corridors, a killer railway track that cut through the park and the planned expansion of the two lane highway into a four lane speedway, the die was cast.
Foresters and activists realised the gravity of the situation and various ideas were discussed. One suggestion was to build a flyover for the animals to walk over the road and railway track. Though a novel concept, it was not accepted by all stakeholders and the idea was shelved. However, the strength of the idea still stands today as wildlife-centric flyovers are now commonly constructed in several countries and could be used in Indian conditions as well.
It was in this light that the proposal to construct an elephant flyover was approved. The 721 metres long and six-metre high flyover was to be a critical link between the Motichur and Chilla ranges of the national park and provide safety to the stressed animals besides saving up a large area from fragmentation. A tender was floated and given to Era Infrastructure Pvt limited but the company soon defaulted and the work came to a painful stop.
Rather than providing protection, for the past several years, the unfinished flyover stands out like a scar on the development priorities of our nation. In most places, the road has been widened and construction material lay unattended for years. What is worse is that the width of the road made it a favourite halt for truckers who prefer to rest under the shade of the giant trees still not cut and inadvertently disturb animal movement. This unfinished visage of the flyover was what every citizen of Dehradun and Haridwar saw for the past ten years. With traffic almost doubling, the effects on the unfortunate wildlife were heart-wrenching as several species become locally extinct along this road.
After years of struggle from pressure groups, there is now a sliver of hope as the dilapidated pillars of the flyover that once acted as evidence of red-tapism and callousness are suddenly brimming with activity. The construction crew and new machinery have arrived and the word on the ground is that the government is seriously attempting to complete the flyover by the end of the year.
This was not because of a sudden renewal of National Highways Authority of India’s interest but because of a warning by the National Green Tribunal to complete the work expeditiously as well as a forced deposit of rupees 2 crores to the environment ministry to ensure that the flyover is built in time.
When finally built, the biggest respite will be for the animals who have died in unknown numbers over the years. It will also be a successful culmination of the years-long campaign that may provide a new direction to saving India’s remaining wildlife. There is considerable data now available with us that suggests that properly designed overpasses and underpasses can trigger a significant reduction in wildlife fatalities. These flyovers not only provide a corridor for wildlife to migrate but also significantly reduces human-wildlife interaction ultimately resulting in the reduction of conflicts.
In India, the approach is still in its infancy stage with few successful examples. However, increasingly we see the National Highways Authority of India willing to absorb the higher cost associated with building flyovers. Courts too have stepped in to nudge the authorities into placing the highest priority for wildlife conservation. There is positive news trickling in from the Pench National Park where there are signs of animals crossing under the newly constructed flyovers.
However, this is not a one-step blanket solution as the recent controversy in Bandipur Tiger Reserve underlined. Aggressively pushed by the Central and Kerala government, the project highlighted the futility of constructing a series of flyovers in a landscape which already has a traffic ban from 9 pm to 6 am. The opportunity cost of constructing flyovers would have had a significant detrimental effect to the health of the forest that is currently free of traffic for at least 9 hours in a day and as a result, the project has been currently shelved. The case points to the fact that as long as it is possible, there should be no intervention in the forest. Options such as flyovers can only be a last gasp effort to save the critical habitat when all alternative measures of mitigation fail in their purpose of protecting the forest resource.
Unfortunately, flyovers could also be used as a political instrument. If planned for any purpose, other than saving wildlife such as the Telangana government’s Strategic Road Development Plan which envisages cutting a large number of trees for constructing a flyover over the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park, these concrete structures could become an easy tool for policymakers to sidesteps local issues of conservation. A concerted citizen movement is currently underway in Hyderabad to protect the park while also highlighting the futility of constructing more flyovers in the largest lung space of Hyderabad.
It is a period of learning for India as results from the Pench and Haridwar-Dehradun flyovers are yet to be analysed. While NHAI which earlier fiercely resisted adding to the cost of building roads seems to have also realised the urgent need to build such structures, policymakers and environmentalists are not averse to using them as a mitigation measure to reduce wildlife conflicts. It remains to be seen whether the model of using flyovers through Indian forests may yet become a useful instrument of governance after all.
Yet, no city has escaped unscathed from the delirious fever to build flyovers and increasingly these constructions are becoming the norm even in rural regions. What we see when driving through national highways are necessities of the modern world that make our journey smooth, but one that effectively draws a curtain over much of the rural landscape. Derided, yet a favourite of planners, flyovers act like an amoeba that seems to have a mind of their own except of course where they are needed the most.
And a long flyover is needed desperately along the Dehradun-Haridwar national highway where the under siege Rajaji National Park fights a battle to survive each day. Located adjacent to the towns of Dehradun and Haridwar and surrounded by small villages, Rajaji National Park was the inspiration for several of Ruskin Bond’s stories. In the earlier days, the giant forests made Haridwar feel like a distant outpost, far removed from the idyllic charm of Dehra Dun. Infact, India’s forestry department acquired its modern avatar in the Dun Valley with countless generations of Indian Forest Service officers walking through the impenetrable layers of the luxuriant Sal forest to learn the art and science of protecting India’s forests.
But when development hit like a hammer, Dehra Dun exploded and spread in all directions. The first casualties were the silent ones, the trees. The airport expanded and the forests were cut. Roads were required and old litchi and mango trees were cut. The result is that the city and its suburbs now entangle the Rajaji National Park and other reserve forests and the traditional elephant migratory paths are all but choked.
Faced with a choice of increasing wildlife deaths along the many highways that now cut through the national park, coupled with an increasing number of devotees who throng the region during the Maha Kumbhs and annual Kawariya festivals, the ecological stability of the already stressed national park was under question. With a steady fragmentation of the animal corridors, a killer railway track that cut through the park and the planned expansion of the two lane highway into a four lane speedway, the die was cast.
Foresters and activists realised the gravity of the situation and various ideas were discussed. One suggestion was to build a flyover for the animals to walk over the road and railway track. Though a novel concept, it was not accepted by all stakeholders and the idea was shelved. However, the strength of the idea still stands today as wildlife-centric flyovers are now commonly constructed in several countries and could be used in Indian conditions as well.
It was in this light that the proposal to construct an elephant flyover was approved. The 721 metres long and six-metre high flyover was to be a critical link between the Motichur and Chilla ranges of the national park and provide safety to the stressed animals besides saving up a large area from fragmentation. A tender was floated and given to Era Infrastructure Pvt limited but the company soon defaulted and the work came to a painful stop.
Rather than providing protection, for the past several years, the unfinished flyover stands out like a scar on the development priorities of our nation. In most places, the road has been widened and construction material lay unattended for years. What is worse is that the width of the road made it a favourite halt for truckers who prefer to rest under the shade of the giant trees still not cut and inadvertently disturb animal movement. This unfinished visage of the flyover was what every citizen of Dehradun and Haridwar saw for the past ten years. With traffic almost doubling, the effects on the unfortunate wildlife were heart-wrenching as several species become locally extinct along this road.
After years of struggle from pressure groups, there is now a sliver of hope as the dilapidated pillars of the flyover that once acted as evidence of red-tapism and callousness are suddenly brimming with activity. The construction crew and new machinery have arrived and the word on the ground is that the government is seriously attempting to complete the flyover by the end of the year.
This was not because of a sudden renewal of National Highways Authority of India’s interest but because of a warning by the National Green Tribunal to complete the work expeditiously as well as a forced deposit of rupees 2 crores to the environment ministry to ensure that the flyover is built in time.
When finally built, the biggest respite will be for the animals who have died in unknown numbers over the years. It will also be a successful culmination of the years-long campaign that may provide a new direction to saving India’s remaining wildlife. There is considerable data now available with us that suggests that properly designed overpasses and underpasses can trigger a significant reduction in wildlife fatalities. These flyovers not only provide a corridor for wildlife to migrate but also significantly reduces human-wildlife interaction ultimately resulting in the reduction of conflicts.
In India, the approach is still in its infancy stage with few successful examples. However, increasingly we see the National Highways Authority of India willing to absorb the higher cost associated with building flyovers. Courts too have stepped in to nudge the authorities into placing the highest priority for wildlife conservation. There is positive news trickling in from the Pench National Park where there are signs of animals crossing under the newly constructed flyovers.
However, this is not a one-step blanket solution as the recent controversy in Bandipur Tiger Reserve underlined. Aggressively pushed by the Central and Kerala government, the project highlighted the futility of constructing a series of flyovers in a landscape which already has a traffic ban from 9 pm to 6 am. The opportunity cost of constructing flyovers would have had a significant detrimental effect to the health of the forest that is currently free of traffic for at least 9 hours in a day and as a result, the project has been currently shelved. The case points to the fact that as long as it is possible, there should be no intervention in the forest. Options such as flyovers can only be a last gasp effort to save the critical habitat when all alternative measures of mitigation fail in their purpose of protecting the forest resource.
Unfortunately, flyovers could also be used as a political instrument. If planned for any purpose, other than saving wildlife such as the Telangana government’s Strategic Road Development Plan which envisages cutting a large number of trees for constructing a flyover over the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park, these concrete structures could become an easy tool for policymakers to sidesteps local issues of conservation. A concerted citizen movement is currently underway in Hyderabad to protect the park while also highlighting the futility of constructing more flyovers in the largest lung space of Hyderabad.
It is a period of learning for India as results from the Pench and Haridwar-Dehradun flyovers are yet to be analysed. While NHAI which earlier fiercely resisted adding to the cost of building roads seems to have also realised the urgent need to build such structures, policymakers and environmentalists are not averse to using them as a mitigation measure to reduce wildlife conflicts. It remains to be seen whether the model of using flyovers through Indian forests may yet become a useful instrument of governance after all.
