The Kuno National Park has halted construction of a highway stretch, citing safety concerns as it cuts through a proposed cheetah corridor, even as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) denied violating any conditions.
UK Sharma, the Park field director, said that construction cannot proceed without a proper mitigation plan. “The Wildlife Board and the Union environment ministry granted permission on the condition that elevated roads and underpasses be developed to ensure safe animal movement. If these conditions are not met, we will not allow construction that endangers cheetah lives.”
NHAI deputy engineer Vijay Awasthi said there was no specific condition for elevated road construction. “We are proceeding as per the board’s permissions.”
The 63.4 km Goras–Shyampur highway will connect Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur via Madhya Pradesh’s Morena and Sheopur at an estimated cost of ₹209 crore. As many as 32 km of the proposed highway passes through ecologically sensitive zones, including Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district and Kailadevi Sanctuary (Rajasthan).
Sharma said the stretch is within the proposed cheetah corridor linking Sheopur to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary via Rajasthan. “Two cheetahs have been translocated to Gandhi Sagar to establish it as a second habitat. With cheetahs actively roaming in the area, it is imperative to ensure their safety.”
{{/usCountry}}Sharma said the stretch is within the proposed cheetah corridor linking Sheopur to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary via Rajasthan. “Two cheetahs have been translocated to Gandhi Sagar to establish it as a second habitat. With cheetahs actively roaming in the area, it is imperative to ensure their safety.”
{{/usCountry}}In November, a 17,000 sq km corridor was proposed across 10 districts in Madhya Pradesh and seven in Rajasthan to allow cheetahs to establish territories. The proposal was floated at a meeting of the Cheetah Project Steering Committee and the two state governments.
India launched the cheetah reintroduction project in September 2022, years after the species was declared extinct in the country in 1947. Twenty cheetahs were brought to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. Eight were flown from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023.