West Bengal’s Forest Department has proposed five elephant underpasses along the Bagdogra-Panitanki section of NH-327 in Darjeeling district, aiming to create a safer crossing route for elephant herds and reduce the risk of road accidents, traffic disruption and human-elephant conflict.
The proposal has been placed before the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as part of the planned four-lane road project. The five structures would together form an approximately 1,800-metre wildlife passage between Bagdogra and Panitanki, according to a report by Sanmarg.
The proposed underpasses are being designed to accommodate large elephant groups. Each is planned to be about 7 metres high and 22 metres wide. The longest passage, measuring around 700 metres, is proposed near Kiranchandra Tea Garden. Other proposed passages include a 315-metre underpass near Sannyasi Tea Garden and a 490-metre structure at Devmoni. Underpasses of approximately 100 metres and 200 metres are planned at Atal Tea Garden and Panitanki respectively.
The Forest Department has reported that more than 120 elephants move through the Bagdogra-Panitanki area between May and December. Their movement can affect traffic on the highway, particularly when large herds approach the Kiranchandra area. Devesh Pandey, divisional forest officer of Kurseong, said vehicles can form queues on both sides when elephant groups arrive, requiring forest personnel to control traffic for extended periods.
The proposed crossings are intended to separate wildlife movement from highway traffic rather than rely only on short-term traffic control. If approved and constructed as planned, they would allow elephants to move through the corridor without crossing directly over the road, while reducing the need for vehicles to remain halted during herd movement. The proposal also links road engineering with the protection of an existing wildlife movement route.
Avijan Saha, project coordinator at wildlife conservation organisation Airavat, said the proposed structures could help reduce both human-elephant conflict and traffic interruptions. The Forest Department is also preparing to include a proposed 10-hectare elephant corridor near Panitanki in the detailed project report that it plans to send to the ministry.
The project cannot move ahead on the proposal alone. Approval from the State Wildlife Advisory Board and the National Board for Wildlife will be required before the plan progresses. The final design, construction schedule, funding arrangements and implementation timeline were not specified in the report. The next formal step is the submission of the detailed project report, including the proposed Panitanki elephant corridor, for consideration by the relevant authorities.
