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Concern over animal deaths: PTR seeks speed-breakers on highways passing through jungle
BAREILLY Alarmed over animal deaths caused by road accidents, authorities at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) have shot off a letter to the Public Works Department (PWD), urging them to build speed- breakers to prevent road users from speeding on highways passing through jungles.
More than a dozen animals, including a leopard, three bears and 11 spotted deer, died last year after they were hit by motorists speeding on highways passing through the forest reserve, said officials.
Three highways with a total length of 30 km pass through different stretches of the tiger reserve.
“This is my third letter to the PWD in a year, asking them to put up speed-breakers on each kilometre of the highway that passes through the forest,” said H Raja Mohan, field director of the tiger reserve.
According to the Wildlife Protection Society of India, road and rail accidents account for more than half of the unnatural deaths of wild animals.
“Last year, this figure was 161 all over India and likely to go up now that we have more and better highways coming up,” said Ranvir Singh of the society. He said leopards and spotted deer were the biggest causalities in these accidents.
The Mala Range of the tiger reserve runs along 7 kms of the highway, 9 km on Madho Tanda and another 13 km on Puranpur-Madho Tanda Khatima Marg. The maximum number of accidents occurs on the Madho-Tanda Pilibhit highway, according to forest officials.
“Forest rules prescribe a speed limit of 30 km for motorists passing through these jungles. But nobody follows it and the speed of vehicles is anywhere between 80-100 km/hr nowadays,” said Singh.
Raja Mohan feels that speed bumps on each kilometre of road stretch passing through the jungle would help in checking the accidents and reduce animal mortality.
PWD executive engineer Har Swaroop acknowledged the letter written by the field director, but said the construction of speed breakers would not be possible in the current weather conditions.
“I have taken charge only five months ago, but I have seen the letter written by the field director. Work on the speed-breakers would be undertaken after March,” he added.