Assam: Supreme Court Directs NHAI To Expediate Rs 5,500 Crore Kaziranga Elevated Road Project

The Supreme Court directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite the completion of elevated road corridor project in Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including tigers, leopards, Indian elephants, swamp deer, wild water buffalo, sloth bears, and hoolock gibbons.

The Kaziranga Elevated Road project entails the construction of approximately 34 kilometres of elevated roads at sites identified by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), where animal crossings occur. The elevated highway will run alongside the present NH 715.

A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan emphasised the importance of the wildlife-friendly initiative and called on all stakeholders to provide full support for its timely execution.

“It appears that the state of Assam and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) are taking necessary steps to implement the elevated corridor, which will bifurcate Kaziranga sanctuary and provide uninterrupted access for wildlife between forest areas,” the bench observed.

As per Deccan Herald's report, The Assam government informed the court that the detailed project report (DPR) for the corridor is underway and that the MoRTH has classified it as a top-priority project.

The bench also reviewed affidavits submitted by the Assam government and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC). It noted that the National Board for Wildlife had approved the diversion of approximately 20 hectares of forest land for the project.

Additionally, the KAAC reported progress in addressing illegal mining activities near the park’s southern boundary, stating that such operations had been shut down. The court commended these steps, noting their significance in protecting the park’s ecosystem.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier announced an allocation of Rs 5,500 crore for the elevated expressway along NH-715 (previously NH-37). The four-lane road will span 34.28 km across three key locations and include two tunnels.

Kaziranga Elevated Road project details

The project involves widening the intervening at-grade road to a four-lane highway, totalling approximately 50 kilometres in length, and building tunnels spanning approximately 3km kilometres. The alignment was determined in collaboration with the WII.

The elevated road is planned to be built over nine corridors used by the animals of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) usually during high floods.

The nine identified corridors are Panbari, Haldhibari, Bagori, Harmati, Kanchanjuri, Hatidandi, Deosur, Chirang and Amguri. This will have a vertical clearance of 9-10 metres for animals' passage underground, two tunnels, and nine animal corridors in the Nagaon and Golaghat districts.

Noise barriers and head light diffusers with vegetated panels and solar panels would be installed on the project. Noise barriers and head light diffusers with vegetated panels and solar panels would be installed on the project.