By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 6 Jun: A 14 kilometres long elevated wildlife corridor has been constructed as part of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. This elevated expressway has been constructed with a dual purpose. While the main aim is to ensure rapid and free flow of traffic between Delhi and Dehradun through the Mohand and surrounding areas of Rajaji National Park, it also aims to ensure risk free passage for wildlife so that the wild animals are not disturbed by the passing traffic and do not face risk of being hit by the vehicles. The forest department and the locals have observed that the wildlife is already taking to the underpass beneath the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, with camera‑trap images showing elephants, deer and sambar crossing the 14 kilometres long corridor built through the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The National Highway Authority of India, acting on recommendations from the Wildlife Institute of India, has installed 160 cameras to monitor this wildlife corridor, and the initial results have delighted both conservationists and forest officials.
It may be recalled that traffic movement between Dehradun and Delhi has increased manifold during the past one and a half decade. This very frequently not only leads to traffic jams in the curving roads of Mohand but also scares and affects the movement of wild animals as the existing road passes through core area of Rajaji National Park. The elevated wildlife corridor is aimed at dealing with traffic woes as well as ensuring free passage for the wild animals through the underpass of the elevated corridor.
The infrared images, captured during night and twilight hours, reveal solitary elephants and herds alongside sambar and other deer species, indicating that the underpass meets animals’ natural behavioural patterns. Wildlife Institute of India scientists have expressed immense excitement at this early evidence, noting how significant it is that even before the expressway opens, wildlife is already using the infrastructure.
Coco Rosso, the current Director of Rajaji Tiger Reserve, has claimed that this is an excellent example of development proceeding without encroaching on natural habitats, and added that the full closure of the ground‑level route, once the expressway is inaugurated, will encourage even greater wildlife passage. He also pointed out that since many wild animals are naturally more active at night, the underpass is timely for their behavioural cycles.
Apart from the underpass, the expressway’s design includes an elevated wildlife corridor spanning several kilometres. This, combined with the subterranean passage, not only tackles habitat fragmentation but also enhances connectivity between Rajaji and neighbouring protected areas like Kalesar National Park in Haryana. Earlier this year, a herd of ten elephants was reported migrating between these forests, which is indicative of the importance of such corridors.
It may be recalled that Rajaji has been the site of frequent camera‑trap surveys, which have recorded diverse species, which includes leopards, serpents and many species of deer including the hog deer besides the elephants. These efforts align with the Wildlife Institute of India’s persistent warnings about shrinking elephant corridors in Uttarakhand, making the expressway’s wildlife‑friendly design a significant precedent.
Wildlife experts are hopeful that the use of this underpass by large mammals will make this idea of a successful harmony between infrastructure development and ecological preservation a successful concept. With the official opening of the expressway expected soon, the ground‑level exiting route will be sealed off, which in the opinion of the scientists and officials will ensure a marked rise in wildlife movement. This project may also well serve as a model for future such developments across India.
