Environment ministry expert panel clears Varanasi to Kolkata expressway

The expert panel of the environment ministry recommended grant of environment clearance to the 235-km greenfield expressway connecting Varanasi and Kolkata. The project, part of the National Highways Authority of India plan, involves diverting more than 103 hectares of reserved and protected forest land in West Bengal and is expected to cost ₹9,250 crore. The route crosses a tiger landscape and would pass through the districts of Purulia, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly and Howrah. It anticipates the removal of about 40,000 trees in non-forest areas and 10,000 in forest areas. Wildlife considerations include 17 Schedule-I species, with a mitigation plan featuring 20 elephant-cum-wildlife underpasses and specified dimensions (underpasses eight to ten metres in height and 300-metre spans) as per DFO recommendations.

The expert panel's 444th meeting (held April 23–24, 2026) reviewed the 235-km Varanasi–Kolkata greenfield expressway project. The minutes note that the project would require diversion of more than 103 hectares of reserved and protected forest land in West Bengal, would pass through a tiger landscape, and is envisaged as a four-to-six lane expressway with an estimated cost of ₹9,250 crore. The route would traverse Purulia, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly and Howrah districts and would involve cutting about 40,000 trees in non-forest areas and 10,000 in forest areas. Wildlife considerations include 17 Schedule-I species; the proposal calls for 20 elephant-cum-wildlife underpasses. The committee specified that underpasses must adhere to 300-metre spans as per DFO recommendations, with eight to ten metre-high structures for the underpasses; the Jangal Mahal Elephant Corridor lies approximately 7.75 km south of the project.