Green Expressway: A Path Through Wilderness

An expert panel from the environment ministry has recommended the approval of a 235-km expressway connecting Varanasi and Kolkata, despite involving the diversion of 103 hectares of forest land in West Bengal. This project, estimated at Rs 9,250 crore, forms part of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) initiatives.

Concerns arose over the project's passage through a tiger landscape and the impact on wildlife habitats. The expressway's construction will require the felling of 40,000 trees in non-forest areas and 10,000 in forest areas. Significant wildlife areas, including the Jangal Mahal Elephant Corridor, are close or intersect with the proposed route.

In response to wildlife disruption, NHAI proposes 20 elephant-cum-wildlife underpasses, which the expert appraisal committee insists must comply with divisional forest officer recommendations. These underpasses should have spans no less than 300 meters and heights of eight to ten meters, safeguarding local fauna.

(With inputs from agencies.)