After several flip-flops, citizen protests and pressure from the National green Tribunal (NGT) the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has finally come around to accept a wildlife mitigation plan that will aide movement of tigers and other wildlife across the widened NH7 in the Kanha-Pench corridor. The Kanha-Pench corridor connecting national parks at these two places is considered one of the best tiger habitats in the country and the proposed four-laned NH7 will cut through this corridor. The mitigation plan agreed upon includes building an eco-duct or a landscaped animal overpass in the Madhya Pradesh section, which will be a first in the country, and animal under passses in the Maharashtra stretch.
The development is significant as NHAI had in the past rejected Wildlife Institute of India's mitigation plan on the grounds that it would increase the project budget substantially. According to sources, the estimated cost of the entire mitigation plan – Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh stretch – will be Rs.515 crores.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) during a meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) decided to grant wildlife clearance to the expansion of NH7 through the tiger corridor. During the meeting, the ministry and NHAI decided that a eco-duct or a landscaped animal overpass will be built above the main carriageway in the Khawasa and Rukhad section of NH7 in Madhya Pradesh.
Sharing the details of the eco-duct, an NHAI official said, "We have agreed in-principal to build four eco-ducts of which two will be of 500m and one each of 800m and 300m in length. There will be 14 other minor structures too. We will spend approximately Rs300 crores on mitigation." The eco-duct wildlife crossing will be a first of its kind mitigation measure to be adopted the country, made popular in Canada, Netherlands and Belgium.
On the Maharashtra side of NH7, it has been decided that three animal underpasses will be built under the vehicular overpass. An NHAI official in-charge of the project in Maharashtra said, "Three animal underpasses will be built with two of 750m in length and one 300m long with a height of 5m each. Although I cannot quote the exact budget for the plan, it will cost an estimated amount of Rs215 crores." Speaking on WII's earlier recommendation, the NHAI official from MP said, "WII's earlier recommendation to build a 2km long underpasses and 2km long elevated flyovers did not seem feasible to us and hence we had asked them to modify it." The NHAI, though, have also been rapped in the NGT for not delaying a mitigation plan and are due to submit it before the Tribunal
Wildlife conservationists said that mitigation measures should be studied carefully before implementation and authorities should also build pedestrian crossings on high-speed highways. "There is no precedent of a wildlife crossing for tigers anywhere, but mountain lions do use tunnels in California and elephants use crossings in Kenya. It is a recent innovation and it will be really helpful if we implement it properly. Along with it, highways should also have pedestrian crossings," said Vidya Athreya, wildlife biologist, Wildlife Conservation Society.
'Not feasible'
Speaking on WII's earlier recommendation, the NHAI official from MP said, "WII's earlier recommendation to build a 2km long underpasses and 2km long elevated flyovers did not seem feasible to us and hence we had asked them to modify it." The NHAI, though, have also been rapped in the NGT for not delaying a mitigation plan and are due to submit it before the Tribunal
