A part of the proposed National Highways Authority of India project, the expressway involves the construction of a four-to-six lane corridor at an estimated cost of ₹9,250 crore. The proposed alignment will also pass through a tiger landscape, raising significant ecological and wildlife concerns.
The details of the project were discussed during the 444th meeting of the expert appraisal committee, which took place between April 23 and April 24. According to the minutes of the meeting, the project will pass through the districts of Purulia, Bankura, Pashchim Mednipur, Hoogli and Howrah.
The project will require the cutting of 40,000 trees in non-forest areas and another 10,000 trees in forest areas. The environmental implications of the proposed alignment formed a major part of the discussions before the committee.
The minutes of the meeting stated that while the Jangal Mahal Elephant Corridor is located 7.75 km to the south of the project, “the elephant corridors are crossing the present highway alignment at different location”. The study area of the proposed project also hosts 17 Schedule-I species under the Wildlife Act, including jackal, sambar deer, striped hyena, Indian fox, Indian elephant and leopard.
To address wildlife movement across the proposed highway, the National Highways Authority of India has proposed the construction of 20 elephant-cum-wildlife underpasses. The committee, however, stressed that the mitigation structures must strictly comply with forest department recommendations.
“The committee was of the view that wildlife crossing structures shall be strictly as per recommendations of the DFO including the recommendations for 300 metres span and no underpass shall be of the span lesser than that prescribed by the DFO,” according to the minutes of the meeting.
The recommendation for environment clearance marks a significant step forward for the ambitious expressway project, even as concerns over forest diversion, wildlife habitats and the large-scale felling of trees continue to remain central to the debate surrounding the corridor’s environmental impact
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