137.5 Acres Of Forest To Be Diverted For Mysuru–Kushalnagar Highway; Activists Raise Concern

MYSURU: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed the diversion of 137.5 acres of forest land for the expansion of the Mysuru–Kushalnagar highway, which is being undertaken at an estimated cost of ₹3,800 crore.

As part of the statutory requirement under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, NHAI has been directed to carry out compensatory afforestation equivalent to the forest land diverted. However, environmentalists are objecting to the proposed afforestation site in Vijayapura district, far from the actual project site in Mysuru district, The Hindu reported.

The highway project involves upgrading NH-275 from a two-lane road to a six-lane highway with paved shoulders, impacting forest stretches in Hunsur and Periyapatna taluks. A total of 577.41 hectares (around 1,427 acres) has been earmarked for the project, of which 55.63 hectares is forest land and the remaining 521.78 hectares is non-forest land.

Additionally, 691 trees are slated for removal—571 in the Hunsur forest division and 120 within the Cauvery block notified forest under the administrative control of the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. However, the Cauvery block is outside both the core and buffer zones of the reserve.

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Wildlife conservationist Giridhar Kulkarni has questioned the rationale behind carrying out compensatory afforestation in Bhutanala village of Vijayapura district. In a letter to forest officials, he emphasised that replantation should ideally be undertaken within the same district where deforestation occurs, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas like Hunsur and Periyapatna.

Kulkarni argued that establishing plantations in a distant location like Vijayapura does not address the local environmental degradation caused by forest diversion. “It’s hard to understand how planting trees in Vijayapura can offset the ecological loss in Hunsur,” he said. “Localised reforestation is essential to mitigate microclimatic changes and preserve regional biodiversity.”

He also highlighted that Hunsur is prone to frequent human-wildlife conflict, reinforcing the need for afforestation efforts in and around the affected region. Kulkarni urged the Forest Department to consider acquiring private land in conflict-prone areas for compensatory afforestation, with funding from NHAI.

He further suggested that such efforts should be aligned with strategies to strengthen wildlife corridors, ensuring ecological connectivity and reducing animal intrusion into human habitations.

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