Centre clears Rs 6,957-Cr Kalibor-Numaligarh 4-laning with 34-km Kaziranga corridor

New Delhi, Oct 1: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, approved widening and improvement of the Kalibor-Numaligarh section of NH-715 in Assam, including wildlife-friendly measures along the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) stretch.

According to a Cabinet communique, the 85.675 km project will be executed in Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Mode at a cost of Rs 6,957 crore. It is expected to generate around 15.42 lakh person-days of direct and 19.19 lakh person-days of indirect employment, opening new avenues of growth, development and prosperity in the region.

Taking to social media, Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma extended his gratitude to the Centre. “The project, which includes a 34 km elevated corridor through Kaziranga, will not only boost regional connectivity but also serve as a model for harmony between development and conservation”, he posted.

The existing Kalibor-Numaligarh section of NH-715 (old NH-37) is a two-lane road with or without paved shoulders, passing through densely built-up areas such as Jakhlabandha (Nagaon) and Bokakhat (Golaghat).

A large part of the existing highway passes through the Kaziranga National Park or runs along its southern boundary, with a restricted right of way ROW (16 to 32 metres), further aggravated by substantially poor geometrics.

During the monsoons, flooding in Kaziranga forces the wildlife from the park to move towards the elevated Karbi-Anglong Hills, crossing the highway. The heavy, round-the-clock traffic on the highway results in frequent accidents and deaths of wild animals.

To address and mitigate these challenges, the project includes the construction of an elevated corridor of about 34.5 km, covering the entire cross movement of wildlife from Kaziranga National Park to Karbi-Anglong Hills for free and uninterrupted passage of wildlife, along with the upgradation of 30.22 km of existing road and the construction of 21 km of greenfield bypasses around Jakhalabandha and Bokakhat.

This will de-congest the existing corridor, improve safety, and enhance the direct connectivity between Guwahati (the state capital), Kaziranga National Park (tourism destination), and Numaligarh (an industrial town).

The new project alignment will also integrate with two major National Highways (NH-127, NH-129) and a State Highway (SH-35), providing seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Assam.

Additionally, the upgraded corridor will enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with three railway stations (Nagaon, Jakhalabandha, Vishwanath Charli), and three airports (Tezpur, Liabari, Jorhat), thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region.

Once completed, the Kalibor-Numaligarh section will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major tourism, industrial and economic centres, boosting tourism to Kaziranga National Park, and opening new avenues for trade and industrial development.

IANS