Adirabad: Union Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari made his debut on the Wildlife Underpass on Monday at the opening ceremony on National Highway 363, between Mancherial and Goyagaon in Wankidi Mandal, Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. 94.6km, four-lane stretch (at an estimated cost of Rs 39 billion), is now equipped with dedicated animal access designed to reduce vehicle wildlife collisions and maintain habitat connectivity.
The underground passage is the border of Telangana-Maharashtra near Goyagaen, another between Repallewada and Rebbena, lined with gravel and soil to mimic the natural terrain. This design allows tigers and other fauna to migrate from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, safely crossing the Sirpur (T) and Asifabad Forest areas and occasionally transfer to Kawal Tiger Reserve.
“By building these underground passages, we ensure uninterrupted movement of wildlife and greatly mitigate road killing,” Gardkari said.
NH-363 project director K. Ajay Manikumar told reporters that these locations and designs were selected after careful evaluation of the ground and animal movement patterns. “These underground passages mark a big step forward in integrating infrastructure development with Telangana's wildlife conservation,” he said.
S. Venugopal, Task Force Range Officer (Nirmal), added: “This structure will allow tigers and other species to cross the highway without interference and strengthen ongoing efforts for conservation and long-term conservation.”
Forest department officials earlier expressed concerns about the speeding of vehicles endangering the relocated tigers, and he welcomed the new access as a key safeguard for wildlife in the region.
