The Public Works Department (PWD) has said upgradation to two-lane of a portion of the State Highway-4 from Maheshkhola to Kanai is essential as the road is of critical importance for connectivity in the region.
The proposed two-lane road project has a total length of 1.520 km within the Balpakram National Park and will be constructed under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme – North East (SARDP-NE) Phase ‘A’.
However, objections were raised to the state government’s plan to acquire 2.548 hectares of land from the Balpakram National Park in Garo Hills for its expansion. It is feared that the improved access through the highway might lead to increased human activities in the region, heightening the risk of human-wildlife conflict.
The department in a statement said that the project is to widen and upgrade the existing road within the existing Right of Way (RoW) a portion of which falls within the Balpakram National Park (BNP). This road has been in existence since decades, it added.
Stating that necessary clearances have been obtained under Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 the department said consultation and approval was also sought from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL).
“The wildlife clearance is subjected to various conditions imposed by NBWL and other authorities in the State Government to ensure that effects of the widening of the said road on the wildlife habitat is limited to the minimum, and compensated adequately,” the department said.
The wildlife clearance accorded to the NHIDCL project in the BNP area is strictly based on the statutory provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (as amended) and with relevant Court orders, it said.
