Guwahati, Jan 18 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rs 6,957-crore Kaziranga Elevated Corridor project in Nagaon district of Assam.

The corridor being one of the largest wildlife-friendly infrastructure projects, is aimed at ensuring safe wildlife movement across Kaziranga National Park, reduce road accidents on National Highway, and also boost eco-tourism.

Local residents thanked PM Modi for the project as they believe that this will generate local employment opportunities.

The Kaziranga Elevated Corridor project, costing nearly Rs 6,950 crore, will be built on National Highway-715 and will stretch for about 35 km through the Kaziranga region.

The project's key purpose is to ensure safe and uninterrupted movement of wildlife, especially during floods. It will also reduce human-wildlife conflict.

The project includes elevated roads, widened roads, and bypasses, all planned with environmental protection and ecosystem preservation in mind.

Local residents, who attended the event, were upbeat and overjoyed with the launch of wild life-friendly project and thanked PM Modi, though some of them said that this should have been done years ago by the previous governments.

Women participants also welcomed the initiative and termed it a progressive and humane move as this will give thrust to the region's infrastructure while safeguarding wild animals.

"He (PM Modi) has also brought this project for the animals of Kaziranga. We are very happy about this," a woman said.

Another woman said that she and many others like her were very happy to see PM Modi's love for Assam.

“Earlier, Assam was backward, but Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and PM Modi are working together to take it forward, which is a matter of great joy for us," she added.

--IANS

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