The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed an elephant pass in the Sanamavu reserve forest near Hosur along NH 844 to enable the elephants to migrate from the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh and back. But the existing highway NH 44, connecting Chennai and Bengaluru and running parallel, continues to carry heavy traffic and the proposals for three eco-bridges, made in the not-so-distant past, have been nearly forgotten.
In the application before the Supreme Court for removal of 901 trees in the Sanamavu reserve forest of Krishnagiri, the NHAI has said NH 844 is part of Bharatmala connecting Bangalore Urban District (Karnataka) to Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu. As NH 44 could not be made an eight-lane road because the Hosur region became an industrial hub, it was decided to improve the existing State Highway 17 (now upgraded as NH 844) to avoid congestion in Hosur. After completion, it is expected that around 40% of the traffic on NH 44 will be diverted to NH 844. The alignment plan, submitted along with the application, has a provision for an elephant underpass.
