No wildlife corridor for Palwal eway

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has not included the provision for a wildlife corridor in the upcoming Faridabad-Palwal Expressway project.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has not included the provision for a wildlife corridor in the upcoming Faridabad-Palwal Expressway project.

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The 179.5-km-long expressway will connect Faridabad to Mathura and Agra.

“There is no mention of a wildlife corridor in the project plan,” said Suresh Kumar, technical manager for the Faridabad-Palwal Expressway, NHAI.

The six-lane project received its forest clearance on April 16. It cuts through the forest area that houses the Nilgai, Hyena, Peafowl, Jackals etc.

“A wildlife corridor is a must for this expressway. Animals keep travelling along the stretch in search of food and water. Chances are high that they may be run over by speeding vehicles. Besides, a large number of cattle graze along this stretch,” said Vinod Kumar, wildlife conservator, Gurgaon forest department.

The construction of the project, which is due to start on October 16, will be completed in the next two-and-a-half-years.

According to NHAI’s plan, a 13-km-long Metro line, an extension of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), is also likely to be constructed from Badarpur in South Delhi to Ballabhgarh in Faridabad district.

Earlier, too, no provision had been made for the 30-km-long Gurgaon-Faridabad Expressway, which cuts through the Aravalis. The stretch has proven fatal for the animals. On April 25, a female Nilgai was killed on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Expressway after an unidentified vehicle ran over it.