India’s wildlife board cleared the Rs 6,950 crore Kaziranga elevated corridor and highway project with 34 conditions
The project passes through a Unesco World Heritage Site and diverts forest land from the core of a tiger reserve
Conditions include speed limits, flood-season construction bans, wildlife crossings and long-term ecological monitoringelevated corridor
The Rs 6,950-crore Kaziranga Elevated Corridor and Highway expansion project inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi January 18, 2026, adjacent to the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR), received the National Board for Wildlife’s (NBWL) approval subject to a series of stringent conditions imposed by it.
While Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the project would reduce travel time between Kaliabor, near the park’s western edge, and Jorhat in the east to around 30 minutes, the NBWL has mandated strict speed controls, even on the new elevated sections and bypasses, to protect the park's renowned populations of tigers, one-horned rhinos and elephants.
With construction likely to span five years, the NBWL imposed 34 conditions on the project proponents, according to minutes from its February 22, 2024 meeting, accessed by Down to Earth.
The project was recommended by the Assam government following the diversion of approximately 20 square kilometres from the core area of KNPTR. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) then formed a site inspection committee including the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the Assam Forest Department, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The NTCA recommended the project proposal subject to the implementation of the NBWL's Standing Committee recommendations.
NBWL member Raman Sukumar suggested in-principle approval could be granted, noting the “complexity of corridor connectivity” and the movement of elephants, rhinos, tigers and other wildlife between Kaziranga and the Karbi Anglong Sanctuary, especially during floods.
Officials from the Assam Forest Department told the meeting the project's purpose was to ensure 24-hour animal movement across the road. “The proposal is a mitigation plan in itself. The proposal was initiated from the year 2014 onwards. A lot of research has gone into mitigation examples in the world,” stated an official present in the NBWL meeting.
NBWL member and former forester HS Singh noted 11 animal corridors had been identified in the area. To facilitate movement, the road would be elevated in three stretches. “There won’t be any difficulty in animal movement,” he said. While no details were provided on technology to guide animals to these specific crossings, Singh recommended the project, stating it would use “state-of-the-art technology.”
“Construction material shall be prepared outside the project area and only piling would be done between sunrise and sunset. No construction work would be carried out during the night time. There will be minimal disturbance to the wildlife due to the project,” Singh stated.
The Standing Committee subsequently approved the proposal, subject to the following key conditions:
The NHAI shall not carry out any construction activities on the animal corridors during flood time, i.e., during the period from June to September. The height of the flyovers should not be less than 9 metres at any point of the horizontal portion, except where the flyovers descend. No adverse impact shall be caused to wild animals and their habitat, and minimal tree felling shall be resorted to in the forest land. Furthermore, no construction activities shall be carried out between sunset and sunrise within the protected area as well as animal corridors.
Two percent of the proportionate project cost for the area under the proposal shall be deposited as a Corpus fund for Human Elephant Conflict (HEC) mitigation and wildlife conservation, to be used by the Chief Wildlife Warden, the conditions added. The HEC Mitigation Plan and Wildlife Conservation Plan shall be submitted within two months after the deposition of this amount by the User Agency. As far as possible, the core area of the tiger reserve should be avoided by making suitable realignment of the proposed elevated road. Latest technological means shall be adopted to complete the elevated road construction within 24 months to minimise disturbance to wildlife, with NHAI and the User Agency ensuring timely fund release to maintain this timeframe.
Construction of the superstructure (elevated road) shall be at least 15-20 meters away from the slope of the hill to facilitate wildlife movement. There shall not be any reduction in the length of Segment-II of the Elevated corridor at the Bagori location, considering the area's importance during high floods. The existing road below the superstructure should be decommissioned, and clusters of villages should be interconnected with the main road or loops as suggested by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Wherever technically feasible, all cross-drainage structures between sections of the elevated road should be a minimum of 5 meters by 5 meters.
There should be no crash barriers, and the median should be only 0.15 to 0.25 metres high and covered with vegetation like grass, a measure—along with the cross-drainage structures—designed to facilitate wildlife movement in heavy floods. The ground-level 4-lane highway should have box culverts of 5-meter height and width every 300-500 metres for the same purpose, with underpass height attained by elevating structures, not digging trenches. Signage is to be installed along non-elevated sections, and the user agency shall undertake regular de-siltation of animal crossing structures.
The user agency shall fund the construction of 24/7 manned, CCTV-equipped forest check posts along the highway, with their number and location decided in consultation with KNPTR authorities. It shall also install automatic speed detection sensors. No toll plaza is to be established in the tiger reserve or forest area, and forest department vehicles are to be exempt from toll. All elevated corridors are to be covered with light and sound barriers to minimise pollution; to further minimise light pollution, there shall be no street lights on the elevated road, with lighting instead provided on the concrete crash barrier.
Near Deosur Hill, a part of the Karbi Hills, the alignment is on the southern side, and the existing road shall be decommissioned to ensure the hill serves as safe high ground during floods. The pillars and superstructures shall be camouflaged to ensure unhindered wildlife movement underneath. Pre-fabricated structures shall be used to expedite progress, and no labour camps or storage yards shall be set up within the reserve or forest area. The User Agency must ensure the construction preserves the existing drainage pattern of the tiger reserve and adjoining area.
After completion, a long-term project to monitor corridor utilisation should be started by the Assam Forest Department and WII, funded by the User Agency. To offset project losses and enhance Kaziranga's long-term viability, the adjoining Karbi Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary should be declared a satellite core of the tiger reserve. The Assam Forest Department shall identify corridor areas with human habitations for relocation, preparing and implementing a proper plan using earmarked project funds.
During heavy flooding, heavy vehicles shall be diverted from Kaliabor to the road on the north bank of the Brahmaputra. The Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam, will set up a mechanism to monitor compliance with these recommendations and the WII's review. Finally, an annual compliance certificate shall be submitted by the User Agency to the State Chief Wildlife Warden, who shall then submit one to the central government. Lastly, the directions said that the road will be elevated in three sections, measuring about 20 km, 10 km and 5 km, respectively.