Say goodbye to the rainsSomething seems dangerously off about the state government’s understanding of conservation. While most Bengalureans are still worrying about the consequences of losing 800-odd trees to a steel flyover, the government now wants to hack through the fragile ecosystem of the Western Ghats to build a road. And this time, at least 30,000 trees will be lost.The government on Tuesday confirmed that this new road – connecting Byrapura in Chikkamagaluru with Shishila in Dakshina Kannada, spanning 65 km – will cut through pristine forests of the Ghats. The project is already underway.In December last year, the state had agreed in principle to develop a road between the two districts as an alternative to the existing highways via Shiradi and Charmadi that were often chock-a-block with vehicles.On Tuesday, in a reply to BJP’s MK Pranesh, Public Works Department minister HC Mahadevappa said the project had now begun, and currently, the survey work was going on. The entire project (two-lane road) is expected to cost about Rs56 crore.Mahadevappa said: “Of the 65-km stretch, 13 km will wind through Dakshina Kannada district and 52 km through Chikkamagalur district. The government has already entrusted Bengaluru-based Preethi CAD Consulting Engineers with the responsibility of preparing the detailed project report (DPR). The firm is in the process of conducting a survey in the area, and work is under progress and only after obtaining the DPR will we know the periodicity of the project.”IRREPARABLE DAMAGEConservationists based in Moodigre told Bangalore Mirror that the project will spell doom for the Ghat’s ecosystem. “A total of 24 km of the road will pass through dense forests of the Western Ghats. Already we have lost considerable amount of forest here to power projects, irrigation schemes, eco-tourism and tunneling projects. We are also already witnessing the effects of such unscientific activities through drought, reduced rainfall, and rising temperature. And now this latest project would only lead to an ecological disaster. The project will require clearing of close to 50,000 trees of various sizes,” the conservationist said.The local leaders including MLAs and MLCs have been arguing that development of the road would reduce the travel distance between Dharmasthala and Kukke Subramanya by 15 km besides reducing the travel distance between Moodigere and Ujire by 29 km. “The alignment will be made in such a way that the project will have minimum impact on the Western Ghats forest. Perhaps 10 acres of forest would be affected due to the project, that too along the fringes,” said a senior official from the PWD department.Several years ago, the stretch was used for local transport and bullock carts for travelling between the coast and Malnad areas. To fix the road, the state government in 2010 had cleared trees for about 3-4 km. However, the work was stopped abruptly with villagers and activists protesting against the project and blocking the stretch.