NH-715 Widening Approved in Assam | Kaziranga Protection

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) The Cabinet on Wednesday approved widening of Kaliabor-Numaligarh section of NH-715 in Assam at a total capital cost of Rs 6,957 crore.

According to an official statement, the project will be developed on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode with a total length of 85.675 km and total capital cost of Rs 6,957 crore.

The project also includes implementation of wildlife-friendly measures proposed on the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) stretch.

The existing Kaliabor-Numaligarh section of NH-715 (old NH-37) has a configuration of two-lane passing through densely built Jakhlabandha (Nagaon) and Bokakhat (Golaghat) towns, as per the statement.

A major part of the existing highway passes either through the Kaziranga National Park or along the southern boundary of the park, having restricted right of way (ROW) of 16-32 metres further aggravated by substantially poor geometrics.

During monsoon, the area inside the park gets flooded, leading to the movement of wildlife from the park towards the elevated Karbi-Anglong hills by crossing the existing highway, the statement said.

The heavy round-the-clock traffic on the highway results in frequent accidents and deaths of wild animals, it said.

The project alignment integrates with two major National Highways (NH-127, NH-129) and one state highway (SH-35), providing seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Assam.