NHAI Unveils Wildlife Mitigation Measures for Highways
- ₹19,700 crore invested over five years
- 2,150+ wildlife crossing structures deployed
- 300 km fitted with guide fencing
- Framework unveiled by Union Road Transport Ministry
Highway expansion across India's ecologically fragile corridors now operates under a formal conservation blueprint, after the National Highways Authority of India published its official manual on wildlife mitigation measures. Released by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari during the Chintan Shivir in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, the reference document details over ₹19,700 crore deployed across highway projects over the last five years to reconcile arterial road transport with wildlife preservation.
The authority has cataloged more than 2,150 dedicated wildlife structures built or proposed nationwide to counter habitat fragmentation and barrier effects. Capital deployment is led by ₹8,300 crore allocated to elevated viaducts, ₹4,600 crore to animal underpasses, and ₹2,800 crore to tunnels, alongside ₹650 crore for specialized overpasses and bridge-integrated crossing points designed around specific migratory patterns.
Beyond heavy civil engineering, the framework establishes mandatory non-structural safeguards across sensitive stretches, including noise barriers and guide fencing along more than 300 kilometers of highway alignments. Infrastructure concessionaires and state road agencies must now integrate camera-trap monitoring and collision-hotspot speed controls directly into early project designs, transforming statutory environmental clearance into an active operational standard.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NHAI wildlife mitigation measures document?
It is an official technical reference manual that standardizes both structural and non-structural interventions required to protect wildlife habitats during national highway development.
How much has NHAI invested in wildlife mitigation infrastructure?
NHAI has committed over ₹19,700 crore over the past five years across various measures, including viaducts, animal underpasses, overpasses, and tunnels.
How many wildlife crossing structures are covered under the plan?
The framework encompasses more than 2,150 wildlife crossing structures, including dedicated animal underpasses, canopy crossings, and adapted bridge corridors nationwide.
What non-structural wildlife safeguards are mandated along highways?
Non-structural safeguards include guide fencing along more than 300 kilometers of highway alignments, acoustic noise barriers, camera trapping, and speed-regulation signage.
Source
Press Information Bureau Release ID 2320896, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways · 2026-10-08
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