SC asks Assam govt to expedite completion of Kaziranga Elevated Corridor

Guwahati, Nov 21: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite the construction of the proposed 34-km elevated corridor in Kaziranga National Park, a key wildlife corridor for the one-horned rhinoceros.

The apex court highlighted that all the relevant stakeholders must provide full support to the wildlife-friendly measure.

"It does appear that the state of Assam and the MORTH are taking necessary steps to provide an elevated corridor that bifurcates the two parts of Kaziranga Sanctuary so as to provide free access to the wildlife from one part of the forest to the other part of the forest. We expect the NHAI to complete the project at the earliest and also expect the other stakeholders to provide full support and cooperation for expeditious completion of the said project," the bench was quoted as saying by a national newswire.

The Government of Assam apprised a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan that the elevated corridor, intended to connect two parts of the park, is a priority project under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH). The government also mentioned that a detailed project report (DPR) for the elevated corridor is currently under preparation.

It noted that the state of Assam and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) had submitted their separate affidavits in the case in accordance with the March 13 ruling of the Supreme Court. It also mentioned that the National Board for Wildlife has approved the plan to divert about 20 hectares of forest area, according to the state's affidavit. The KAAC's affidavit, which addressed the problem of mining operations in regions that border the national park, was also cited by the bench.

On November 4 last year, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Rs 5,500 crore has been allocated for constructing an elevated expressway as a wildlife-friendly measure for the Kaziranga National Park.