Bharat Mala Expressway Prioritizes Wildlife Right of Way.

In a commendable move to protect the natural habitat and migration routes of wildlife, the Bharat Mala expressway, passing through an elephant corridor in Ramgarh district, will incorporate safe passages for animals. This initiative will feature an underpass and a flyover, facilitating wildlife movement.

The forest and environment department granted approval for the project on the condition that it includes a secure passage for wild animals to cross a 17km stretch that will be transformed into a four-lane expressway as part of the Bharat Mala project.

A senior official from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) stated that the project involves converting a 60-km-long, two-lane road from Ormanjhi in Ranchi to Jainamore in Bokaro via Gola in Ramgarh into an expressway at an estimated cost of Rs 2,224 crore. The project is already underway.

The stretch from Ormanjhi, located on the Ranchi-Patna National Highway 33, connects Bokaro via Gola in Ramgarh and provides the shortest route from the state capital to Bokaro and Dhanbad. This road is known for accidents and passes through the Sikidiri valley. The conversion of this busy road into a four-lane expressway will eliminate the need for vehicles from Dhanbad, Bokaro, and Gola in Ramgarh district to pass through Ramgarh.

Arvind Kumar Singh, project director of the project implementation unit of NHAI, explained that a 59.94km road stretch will be the first expressway to feature separate underpasses and flyovers for wildlife, particularly elephants. This development will ensure hassle-free movement for elephants in the hills and forests, even as the expressway traverses the elephant corridor in Sikidiri valley and Chopdaru valley.

Nitish Kumar, the divisional forest officer in Ramgarh, mentioned that more than 100 hectares of forest land, including 28 hectares in Ramgarh, have been acquired to widen the Ormanjhi to Jainamore two-lane highway.

TOI