On a virtually 12-km stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway that falls within the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve’s buffer zone lie 5 equivalent mound-like constructions. Standing between Bundi’s Hardeoganj village and the Main Bridge on Mej river, these constructions — 500 metres lengthy and related by the highway — serve a singular goal: to permit a secure passage for wildlife in addition to automobiles, with out impeding both.
Touted as India’s first large-scale animal overpasses, these mounds are a part of a key part of the bold 1,386-km-long Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Executed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) underneath the Nationwide Freeway Authority of India’s (NHAI) Bharatmala Pariyojana mission, these overpasses will likely be opened to the general public in 5 months, officers stated. Other than the 5 overpasses, the mission features a 1.2-km-long animal underpass.
In keeping with a senior official of L&T, whereas the preliminary mission in 2020 didn’t consider these constructions, the NHAI ultimately revised its plan primarily based on solutions made by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
The constructions will likely be camouflaged with grass and shrubs, the seeds of which have already been sown, the official stated. Different highlights embrace use of noise obstacles on the boundary wall of the freeway and Polyurethane (PU) mats — identified for his or her sound-dampening and noise-reducing properties — on the tunnel partitions.
“Fixed noise from site visitors can result in disorientation, nervousness, and interference with important animal actions comparable to feeding, mating and nesting…The boundary wall is 4 metres excessive, with a further two metres of noise obstacles to forestall vehicular sounds from seeping out. The overpasses have been inbuilt such a manner that animals wouldn’t be capable to inform the distinction. This can assist them go from one aspect to a different with out hindrance,” he stated.
On condition that the stretch ran by way of an eco-sensitive zone, officers stated they encountered a number of challenges. One in every of these was to relocate a 765 kV high-tension line passing by way of the animal underpass and wildlife sanctuary zone.
“It was a delicate process on account of its location inside a protected ecological space. The mission runs by way of the buffer zone of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Chambal Ghadiyal, and Papdi Forest Space. A number of wildlife species, together with bears and tigers, had been encountered throughout building actions. It was our duty to make sure each the animals and the employees had been secure,” stated Pardeep Atri, regional officer of NHAI at Jaipur.
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The mission additionally required stringent compliance with environmental rules and steady coordination with forest authorities. Amongst these necessities was putting in cameras each kilometre to watch the motion of animals.
Whereas this specific stretch of the expressway was accomplished in December 2023, there are another parts the place work continues to be ongoing, he stated.
“We’re planning to make the overpasses operational in round 5 months. Our goal is to attain one lakh Passenger Automotive Unit (PCU) on this part within the subsequent 4-5 years,” the NHAI official stated.
The Delhi-Mumbai expressway connects main financial centres inside Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. In keeping with the Detailed Undertaking Report (DPR), the expressway will minimize down the space between Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) close to Mumbai by about 180 km and scale back journey time by as much as 50 per cent.
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In keeping with the NHAI, 82 per cent of the entire expressway is full, with the mission deadline now pushed again to October this yr from March 2023.
