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7,540 Trees Targeted for Cutting in Charmadi Ghat as NH‑73 Widening Plans Unfold
✍️ Mangalore Today
🗓 23 Sep 2026, 02:46 PM
👁 16
The Karnataka government’s proposal to widen National Highway 73 through Charmadi Ghat includes felling 7,540 trees, prompting environmental groups to call for a detailed review.
The state’s road department has submitted a plan to widen National Highway 73 as it passes through the ecologically sensitive Charmadi Ghat in the Western Ghats. The proposal calls for the removal of 7,540 trees to accommodate a broader carriageway and improve traffic flow.
Environmental activists and local NGOs have immediately raised concerns, arguing that the large‑scale felling could disrupt wildlife corridors and increase soil erosion in the hill region. They have urged the authorities to conduct a comprehensive environmental impact assessment before any work begins.
Officials from the Public Works Department said the project is part of a broader effort to upgrade connectivity between Mangalore and the interior districts of Karnataka. They indicated that the proposal is still under review by the state’s forest department and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
If approved, the widening is expected to reduce travel time on NH 73, but critics warn that the ecological cost may outweigh the economic benefits, calling for alternative alignment or mitigation measures such as compensatory afforestation.
Environmental activists and local NGOs have immediately raised concerns, arguing that the large‑scale felling could disrupt wildlife corridors and increase soil erosion in the hill region. They have urged the authorities to conduct a comprehensive environmental impact assessment before any work begins.
Officials from the Public Works Department said the project is part of a broader effort to upgrade connectivity between Mangalore and the interior districts of Karnataka. They indicated that the proposal is still under review by the state’s forest department and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
If approved, the widening is expected to reduce travel time on NH 73, but critics warn that the ecological cost may outweigh the economic benefits, calling for alternative alignment or mitigation measures such as compensatory afforestation.