Decks cleared for ₹2,400-cr Delhi-Doon e-way project

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given its clearance to the Ganeshpur-Dehradun Road (NH72A), which is a part of the ₹24,000 crore Delhi-Dehradun expressway. The highway required wildlife clearance as the 19-km stretch of the road passes through eco-sensitive zone of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve and the Shivalik Elephant Reserve. Delhi-Doon Expressway will directly connect the two cities after crisscrossing areas like Loni, Baghpat, Shamli, Saharanpur, and Ganeshpur. The Chief Wildlife Warden in Uttarakhand, J S Suhag, said that the road widening will have to be carried out with strict mitigation measures as per the guidelines and suggestions of the Wildlife Institution of India's experts. Measures include the erecting of barriers on both sides of the road to block and absorb the light and noise pollution, bamboo plantation, and strict monitoring of man-wildlife conflict including harm to wildlife for about 3 years in and around the adjoining areas of the expressway.