Centre grants preliminary forest clearance for highway expansion

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change approved diversion of 24.66 hectares (60 acres) of forest land for widening National Highway-167K. The decision was taken during the regional office meeting of the ministry held in Chennai in the last week of February.

The approval allows the project to proceed with preparations for constructing the bridge across the Krishna River between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

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The Centre had earlier announced plans to build the iconic bridge at an estimated cost of over ₹1,000 crore. Once completed, the bridge is expected to reduce the distance between Hyderabad and Tirupati by about 80 km.

Wildlife protection, compensatory plantation among conditions

The forest department granted Stage-I forest clearance with conditions. Authorities asked the project agency to implement measures to protect wildlife moving in the area.

Officials also directed the agency to develop forest land by planting trees in nearby areas to compensate for land diversion. The agency must also deposit funds with the government as Net Present Value (NPV) for the diverted forest land and follow all environmental protection rules.

"Departments, including the user agency, were coordinated on the issue of forest clearance for the bridge. The proposal was submitted through the Parivesh 2.0 portal in September 2025 and received approval at the 81st meeting of the Regional Empowered Committee within five months," said Dr C. Suvarna, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and head of forest forces.

She added that Stage-II clearance will also be granted if the implementing agency fully complies with the conditions set by the forest department.