The decision has been taken to avert collisions between vehicles and animals on roads. The bridge, which will be developed in Sector 91, will take inspiration from the ones in Europe and the US.
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With an aim to avert animal deaths on roads and cut down on collisions between vehicles and animals, the Noida Authority has decided to build an animal bridge in Sector 91 connecting the flora and fauna of the region.
The officials from the Authority said on Monday that the bridge will take inspiration from the popular options in Europe and the US, stated a report published in the Hindustan Times.
The Authority is developing 144 acres of green area which comprises 32 acres of green belt, 75 acres of the biodiversity park, 25 acres of the medicinal park and 12 acres of a natural wetland.
This is one of the biggest attempts from the authority to showcase the city’s flora and fauna, particularly for the benefit of wildlife lovers.
Rajeev Tyagi, general manager, Noida Authority, said, “We are committed to preserving the environment, and flora and fauna of the region. We have 144 acres of rich green expanse in Sector 91. These 144 acres will become the city’s biggest oxygen bank.”
He further added that the animal bridge will be the first of its kind in the country. “The motive is to protect wildlife and help animals move safely from one park to the other via the bridge,” he said.
Talking about the design of the green area, he said a culvert built across a drain already divides the four green areas into two zones. The green belt and biodiversity park are on one side, while the medicinal park and natural wetland are located on the other side.
The animal bridge is sort of a wildlife crossing and can be in any form like underpass, tunnels, viaducts, overpasses, culverts and green roofs.
Tyagi added that the design and structural details of the bridge is yet to be finalised. “As of now, we are planning to put soil on culvert to grow plants that will help in beautifying it and making it green. There is an existing unused walking bridge over the culvert, which will be developed as animal bridge for the wildlife use to easily travel from one green area to another,” he said.
The area is home to the Asian antelope, also known as Nilgai (a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act of India), reptiles, wild lizards, brown Indian hare, mongoose, peacocks and numerous species of migratory birds.
Most of these animals are expected to use the animal bridge, which will be approximately 40 metres long with 4 metres width.
A wide range of wetland birds also inhabit the area such as the common moorhen, black ibis, black headed ibis, black winged stilt, cattle egret, white breasted waterhen, Indian pond heron, white throated kingfisher, night heron, little grebe and little cormorant.
In the past, there have been several accidents reported because of animals crossing the highway, especially, the Nilgai. “The bridge will assist in avoiding collisions between vehicles and animals, which in addition to killing or injuring wildlife may also cause injury to humans and property,” Tyagi said.
Though the budget to be spent on the bridge is still to be finalized, the bridge is expected to be developed in the next two months.
According to the officials, the green zone will be accessible from the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and via public transport with the metro stations of sectors 137 and 83.
