Two Wildlife Underpasses Opened on NH-363 to Protect Tiger Corridor
5 May 2025 9:42 PM IST5 May 2025 9:42 PM IST
Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated two first-of-their-kind wildlife underpasses along National Highway 363, between Mancherial and Goyagaon in Wankidi mandal, Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari (Image:X)
Adilabad: Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated two first-of-their-kind wildlife underpasses along National Highway 363, between Mancherial and Goyagaon in Wankidi mandal, Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. The 94.6-km, four-lane stretch — built at an estimated cost of ₹3,900 crore — now features dedicated animal passages designed to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions and maintain habitat connectivity.
The underpasses, one at the Telangana-Maharashtra border near Goyagaon and the other between Repallewada and Rebbena, are lined with gravel and soil to emulate natural terrain. This design enables tigers and other fauna migrating from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve to cross safely into Sirpur (T) and Asifabad forest areas, and occasionally on to Kawal Tiger Reserve.
“By constructing these underpasses, we ensure uninterrupted movement for wildlife and significantly mitigate roadkill incidents,” Gadkari said, raising slogans of “Jal, Jangal, Zameen, Janwar”.
K. Ajay Manikumar, project director of NH-363, told reporters that the locations and designs were chosen after careful assessment of ground levels and animal movement patterns. “These underpasses mark a major step forward in integrating infrastructure development with wildlife conservation in Telangana,” he said.
S. Venugopal, task force forest range officer (Nirmal), added: “Such structures will allow tigers and other species to traverse the highway without disturbance, bolstering ongoing efforts for their protection and long-term conservation.”
Forest department officials, who had earlier expressed concerns over speeding vehicles endangering migrating tigers, welcomed the new passages as a critical safeguard for the region’s wildlife.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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