NHAI Allocates ₹50 Crore For Wildlife Conservation Along Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has allocated around ₹50 crore to Bihar’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department to implement an environmental conservation and wildlife mitigation plan along the Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Expressway. The plan aims to protect wildlife habitats, conserve endangered species and improve road safety while supporting connectivity to key religious and tourist destinations, including Bodh Gaya in Gaya district and the Sun Temple at Deo in neighbouring Aurangabad district. Scroll down to know more.

According to Times of India, the plan covers wildlife habitat improvement, the conservation of selected Schedule I species, soil and water conservation, forest fire management, and monitoring and evaluation. The initiative also includes planting around 45,000 saplings along the expressway corridor. NHAI’s regional office in Patna organised a media tour on Friday to showcase the project’s progress, engineering features and regional significance.

Project director Devendra Kumar Bansal told the portal that the 33-km Package VII, being constructed in Bihar’s Gaya district at a cost of ₹1,248 crore, has achieved around 36% physical progress. The stretch runs from Anarban Saleya village to Sangrampur, covering the section between kilometre 151 and kilometre 184. The package is being developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).

The wildlife conservation plan has been prepared in coordination with the state forest department and the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). The package includes two elephant underpasses and two animal overpasses to allow wildlife to cross the expressway safely. These structures, along with other mitigation measures, are designed to reduce disruptions to animal movement and improve road safety.

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Expressway To Feature Cameras And Trauma Centres To Boost Road Safety

The expressway will also feature high-quality cameras installed at one-kilometre intervals to support monitoring and safety. Trauma centres are planned every 30 km to provide timely medical assistance to passengers in case of emergencies. The Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Expressway will begin at Rivasa in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi district and pass through Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh before entering Bihar. It will traverse Kaimur, Rohtas, Aurangabad and Gaya districts, followed by several districts in Jharkhand, including Chatra, Hazaribag, Ranchi, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Ramgarh.

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The route will then pass through Purulia and Bankura in West Bengal before connecting to Kolkata. Along with improving regional connectivity, the project is intended to provide better access to important religious and tourist destinations while incorporating measures to protect wildlife and the environment.

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