Five elephant underpasses have been proposed along the Bagdogra–Panitanki section of NH-327 in Darjeeling district to provide safer passage for herds and reduce the risk of human–wildlife conflict and road accidents. The proposal has been prepared by the West Bengal Forest Department as part of a planned four-lane road project and submitted to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The five structures are planned across a combined wildlife passage measuring about 1,800 metres. Each underpass is expected to be approximately seven metres high and 22 metres wide, allowing large elephant herds to move through the corridor together.
The longest proposed passage, measuring about 700 metres, is planned near Kiranchandra Tea Garden. Other proposed underpasses include a 315-metre passage at Sannyasi Tea Garden, a 490-metre passage at Devmoni, and structures measuring about 100 metres and 200 metres at Atal Tea Garden and Panitanki respectively.
According to the Forest Department, more than 120 elephants move through the Bagdogra–Panitanki area between May and December. The seasonal movement frequently brings elephants close to the highway and surrounding settlements, making the road a point of interaction between wildlife movement and daily traffic.
Devesh Pandey, divisional forest officer of Kurseong, said large herds arriving near the Kiranchandra area can lead to vehicle queues on both sides of the road. Forest personnel then have to control traffic for extended periods while the elephants cross. The proposed underpasses are intended to reduce such interruptions and provide a designated route for the animals.
Avijan Saha, project coordinator at wildlife conservation organisation Airavat, said the proposed structures could help reduce both human–elephant conflict and traffic disruption. The plan, however, will require approval from the State Wildlife Advisory Board and the National Board for Wildlife before it can proceed.
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 underpasses and corridor proposal will therefore move forward through the road project’s approval and wildlife-clearance process.
