Man-animal conflict is known to occur from time to time in India in various places, and more often than not it is the animals that are the most affected.
In a much welcome move, to ensure a safe passage to wildlife and to reduce human-animal conflict, India will soon have its first-ever animal overpasses at the under-construction Delhi-Mumbai greenfield expressway.?
TOI reports these corridors will be on the lines of ¡®animal bridges/ecoducts¡¯ in the Netherlands for safe passage of animals and have been planned to ensure there are no disturbances to the Ranthambore Wildlife Corridor connecting Ranthambhore and Mukundra (Darrah) wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan.?
The plan has reportedly been approved by the Rajasthan government and has been forwarded to the central wildlife board, The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has given the work to an infrastructure major and the agreement is likely to be signed next week.
Also Read:?Elephant Was So Terribly Hit By Train It Succumbed To Injuries
The Delhi-Mumbai expressway is set to have five such animal overpasses, natural-looking structures, with a length of over 2.5 km. "There will be no chance of any conflict as the wild animals will get such passage at every 500 metres interval. The passages will be developed as part of a forest corridor with trees so that animals find it natural," TOI quoted a source as saying.
These structures would reportedly be equipped with a boundary wall and noise barriers.
According to Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project will be completed by 2022.
Also Read:?Elephant Breaks Electric Fence Without Much Effort, Clearly They're Smarter Than We Think
Anand Mahindra, sometime ago attached a picture of an ecoduct constructed over a highway in the Netherlands and asked Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to make such 'wildlife bridges a standard feature while constructing highways through particular zones' in his tweet.
?Also Read:?Cautious Assam Driver Stops Train In Time To Save 25 Elephants Crossing Tracks