Government Pretending the People residing from Kaliabor Tiniali to Numaligarh 86km behind NH-37 (NH-715) by passing the road from Kaliabor Tiniali to Tetulguri

The proposed 86-km four-lane elevated stretch in Kaziranga has been placed on the Government of India’s priority list of NH works for the financial year 2024–25.

The list curated by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) pertains to the approved and prioritized annual plan for NH works for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for this year. This is the only project in Assam making it to the list.

The inclusion of the project in the priority list was reflected in an office memorandum of MoRTH dated August 14, 2024. The memo states that the 86-km elevated corridor in Kaziranga will be constructed in Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). The total project cost is calculated at Rs 5,500 crore.

Approval for the project has already been accorded by the National Board for Wild Life for the use of 20,4284 ha of forest land from the Core Zone of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve and 364.9851 ha (8.6774 ha of forest land and 356.3077 ha of non-forest land) from the default eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve for ‘Widening and Improvement of Existing Carriage Way to 4 Lane Configuration from Kaliabor to Numaligarh section of NH-37 (New NH715) in the state of Assam.’

During the meeting of NBWL, the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and head of forest forces (HoFF), Assam, stated that the proposal has been made for mitigation measures with complete elevation of the road for three stretches of 20 km, 10 km, and 5 km.

The purpose of the project, a mitigation plan in itself, is to ensure 24 x 7 movement of animals across the road. The proposal was initiated from 2014 onwards. It was stated that a lot of research has gone into this mitigation plan, with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on board.

Total 15km road has been trying to bypass from the existing road.

The people of this area have strong demand to construct the existing road and not ruin the paddy land by bypassing the NH-37 Behind 4km away from Jakhalabandha