Elephants live here, but no underpasses for them on NH

Nagpur: Even as the PWD (national highway division) is seeking a reduction in mitigation measures while expanding the 150km Gadchiroli-Allapalli-Sironcha NH-353C from two-lane to four-lane, the authorities have been silent on constructing underpasses for elephants. Over 25 elephants have made Gadchiroli forests their home since 2021.
Quoting the minutes of the meeting of MoEFCC’s regional empowered committee (REC), TOI had on June 21, 2024, reported how PWD is reluctant to take mitigation measures in the forest patches in the 150km and wants to reduce the size and number of structures suggested by the forest department in corridors.The road agency also wants to bypass clearance from the Standing Committee-National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL).

Work on the linear project is already in progress and requires diversion of 132.102 hectares of forest land for upgradation. Of this, PWD’s demand to waive approval of SC-NBWL involves the diversion of 22.567 hectares of land, which falls in the tiger and elephant corridor as per the Eastern Vidarbha Landscape (EVL) report by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.
Swachha Association, which is fighting to save the environment, other wildlife conservationists, and nature lovers in a representation to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, state’s PCCF (HoFF) Shailesh Tembhurnikar, NTCA, and MoEFCC’s REC have demanded a thought be given to build underpasses for elephants on this highway.
“When the proposal for road expansion was submitted on July 12, 2022, to the central govt for forest clearance, the elephants had already become residents of Gadchiroli. More elephants may cross over from Chhattisgarh and considering future protection, mitigation measures should be taken by the PWD now. It is surprising why the forest department is silent on this issue,” said Uday Patel, ex-honorary wildlife warden of Gadchiroli.
Gadchiroli conservator of forests (CF) S Rameshkumar did not respond to repeated TOI calls. The forest department has suggested box culverts of a minimum width of 4m and height of 3m at every 400 metres, and wherever required size of box culverts shall be increased up to 10x3 metres in consultation with the forest officials, preferably every 1,000-1,200 metres. However, the PWD is not ready for these mitigation measures citing economic feasibility. Elephants will not be able to move through such small underpasses.
“Reducing mitigation measures would not only endanger the existing wildlife but also compromise the ecological balance and the safety of the elephant population. It is crucial to consider that these wildlife species are protected under various national and international conservation frameworks, and any laxity in their protection would be a severe violation of these commitments,” said Jaydeep Das, ex-honorary wildlife warden of Nagpur.
Sharad Paliwal of Vidarbha Paryavaran Prerna said, “Allowing the PWD to skip SC-NBWL permission for forest clearance in the tiger corridor will set a wrong precedent. Hence, it is necessary to reinforce obtaining requisite approvals from SBWL and NBWL for any forest land diversion activities, especially in ecologically sensitive and wildlife-rich areas.”