New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the widening and upgradation of the Kalibor–Numaligarh stretch of NH-715 in Assam to a four-lane highway.
The project, which includes wildlife-friendly measures along the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) stretch, will be executed on an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) basis at an estimated cost of Rs. 6,957 crore, according to an official communiqué.
Spanning 85.675 km, the project is expected to generate around 15.42 lakh person-days of direct employment and 19.19 lakh person-days of indirect employment, while unlocking new avenues for economic growth and regional development.
Currently, the Kalibor–Numaligarh section (formerly part of NH-37) is a two-lane highway with limited paved shoulders, passing through densely populated towns like Jakhalabandha (Nagaon) and Bokakhat (Golaghat).
A significant portion of the road lies either within or along the southern boundary of Kaziranga National Park, with a restricted right of way of 16–32 metres and poor geometrics.
During monsoon floods, wildlife often moves from the park towards the elevated Karbi-Anglong Hills, crossing the highway.
Heavy, round-the-clock traffic has resulted in frequent accidents and fatalities among wild animals.
To address these challenges, the project will feature a 34.5 km elevated corridor, allowing uninterrupted wildlife movement between Kaziranga National Park and Karbi-Anglong Hills.
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Additionally, 30.22 km of the existing highway will be upgraded, and a 21 km greenfield bypass will be constructed around Jakhalabandha and Bokakhat to ease congestion, enhance safety, and improve connectivity.
The upgraded corridor will link seamlessly with NH-127, NH-129, and State Highway SH-35, while enhancing multi-modal integration through connections to three railway stations (Nagaon, Jakhalabandha, Vishwanath Charli) and three airports (Tezpur, Liabari, Jorhat).
Upon completion, the four-lane Kalibor–Numaligarh highway is expected to strengthen connectivity between Guwahati, Kaziranga National Park, and Numaligarh, boost tourism, facilitate trade, and drive industrial and regional economic development.
