Kandi road to be made National Highway with flyovers over Corbett belt says Harak Singh Rawat

Reacting to concerns by environmentalists regarding the proposed Kandli road between Garhwal and Kumaon cutting through Corbett, forest minister Harak Singh Rawat said that a flyover will be built over the patch of the road that goes inside the national park so that animals can pass through from below. He added that the construction of the road which will be declared a national highway, will be done in two phases and he had already written to Union minister Nitin Gadkari who has given his approval for the same.

Kandi road will go through Gaindikhata- Laldang- Chillarkhal-Kalalghati, Kotdwar-Pakhro-Kalagarh to Ramnagar. It is the area from Pakhro to Kalagarh and some parts of Kalagarh to Kharagate which comes before Ramnagar that will fall into core area of Corbett. The experts are of the view that three flyovers can be built on these routes. DVS Khati, chief wildlife warden said, that he has the entire project outline of flyovers with him, which he will share with the minister.

Rawat said, “In first phase, the road will be built from Gaindikhata to Kotdwar and in second phase from Kotdwar to Ramnagar via Kalagarh. Since there comes area of Corbett national park/reserve in second phase, so flyovers will have to be built for the smooth movement of wildlife below them. A detailed project report is being prepared for this, but before this, the entire road has to be declared national highway,” he said.

He said, the part of the road from Laldang to Chillarkhal is being opened from 6 in the morning to 6 in evening for transportation. It is assumed that this road which will connect Garhwal with Kumon will shorten the distance covered by people at present by 35 km and would avert taking to Uttar Pradesh pockets where people have to pay toll tax also.