By Arun Kumar Das
New Delhi, Oct 2 (BVI): The Kalibor-Numaligarh section of NH-715 in Assam will be widened to a 4-Lane and wildlife-friendly measures will be implemented on Kaziranga National Park (KNP) stretch at an estimated cost of over Rs 6900 cr.
These proposals have been cleared by the Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It approved the mega road project to be developed in Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Mode with 85.675 km length at a total cost of Rs 6957 crore, a government statement said.
The project is expected to generate approximately 15.42 lakh person-days of direct and 19.19 lakh person-days of indirect employment, and will open new avenues of growth, development and prosperity in surrounding regions.
The existing Kalibor- Numaligarh section of NH-715 (old NH-37) has a configuration of 2-lane with/without paved shoulders, passing through densely built-up areas of Jakhlabandha (Nagaon) and Bokakhat (Golaghat) towns.
A major part of the existing highway passes either through the Kaziranga National Park or along the southern boundary of the park, having restricted right of way (ROW) of 16 to 32 metres further aggravated by substantially poor geometrics.
During the monsoons, the area inside the park gets flooded leading to the movement of the wildlife from the park towards the elevated Karbi-Anglong Hills by crossing the existing highway. The heavy round-the-clock traffic on the highway results in frequent accidents and deaths of wild animals.
To address these challenges, the project will involve construction of an elevated corridor of about 34.5 km, covering entire cross movement of wildlife from Kaziranga National Park to Karbi- Anglong Hills for free and uninterrupted passage of wildlife along with upgradation of 30.22 km of existing road and construct a 21 kms of greenfield bypasses around Jakhalabandha and Bokakhat.
This will decongest 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 project alignment integrates with 2 major National Highways (NH-127, NH-129) and 1 State Highways (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 3 Railway Stations (Nagaon, Jakhalabandha, Vishwanath Charli), and 3 Airports (Tezpur, Liabari, Jorhat) thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region.
The project alignment improves connectivity to 02 Socio-Economic Nodes, 08 Tourist and religious places, thereby strengthening regional economic growth and religious tourism.
Upon completion, the Kalibor- Numaligarh section will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major tourism, industrial and economic centers, boosting tourism to Kaziranga National Park, and opening new avenues for trade and industrial development.(BVI)
