The Centre has approved a plan to construct an elevated high corridor connecting Hyderabad with the temple town of Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh passing through Nallamala forest — known for picturesque hill ranges with majestic Krishna river meandering through them, mesmerising waterfalls and abundant wildlife.
The Centre has, in principle, approved a plan to construct the elevated highway corridor at a cost of Rs 7,700 crore.
At present, there is only a two-lane road connecting Kalwakurthy-Srisailam, passing through the Nallamala hills. It is a narrow ghat road and has several turns in the dense forests. It is posing a danger not only to the travellers, but also to animals crossing the road, especially during the nights, resulting in accidents. There have been several instances of animals being run over by vehicles passing through the jungle.
This entire stretch of around 63 km of the forest area falls under the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, which is a protected tiger sanctuary. Besides, it is also home to several wild animals, including bears, wild boars and leopards. “At present, the Nallamala forest area is closed for traffic after 9 pm keeping in view the safety of wildlife and the travellers as well,” an official of the forest department said.
With the traffic on the Nallamala forest range increasing with every passing year, the Centre has come up with the proposal to construct a four-lane elevated highway corridor on this route.
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Confirming the centre’s plan, Congress MLA Chikkudu Vamsi Krishna, who represents Achampet assembly constituency that covers the Nallamala forest area, said the elevated highway corridor will be constructed at a height of 30 feet from the ground, so that it will not cause any disturbance to the wild life, while ensuring smoother and safer traffic flow.
The Telangana forest department is working closely with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the ministry of road transport to see that the elevated highway corridor follows all environmental and safety rules.
“The highway will begin at Brahmanapalli in Achampet mandal (block) in Nagarkurnool district and will pass through Mannanur, Kunchonimoola, Durvasula Cheruvu, Farhabad, Vatuvarlapalli and Domalapenta tribal villages,” Vamsi Krishna said.
Between Domalapenta and Srisailam, one has to cross the Krishna river. “Here, there is a plan to construct a suspension bridge across the Krishna river, providing a dedicated road to Srisailam,” the forest department official said.
The total length of the elevated highway corridor will be 45.42 km, apart from the suspension bridge. It will allow traffic to move without disturbing the forest below. “Since it is a four-lane highway, it requires land acquisition to the extent of around 370 acres, including the forest area on either side of the present road. A survey for the land acquisition is being done,” the official said.
The Telangana government is working on a strategy to minimise felling of trees so that there will not be much disturbance to the wildlife. “We should also see that the highway will have controlled lighting so as to avoid disrupting nocturnal animals,” the official said.
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