Nashik: The forest department of the state government has proposed wildlife underpasses at three locations in Sinnar taluka of the district for unhindered movement of leopards and other wild animals.This is for the first time such underpasses are to be built in Nashik district. The three underpasses have been proposed in a 13-km radius of Nandur-Shingote village in Sinnar taluka of the district.Two underpasses have been proposed on the Surat-Chennai national highway, while the third will come up on the Nashik-Pune railway line in Nandur-Shingote area, a wildlife official said.These are the spots where movement of leopards have been noted. The underpasses will help the wild animals cross the roads safely, the official added.There is heavy vehicular traffic on the Nashik-Pune state highway. And apart from Mahadari ghat, there are other two spots — Dodi junction and Nandur Shingote — where leopards have met with accidents.Over eight leopards have so far died in accidents while crossing the roads in Sinnar during the last two years. The stretch of Nashik-Aurangabad state highway and Trimbak Road in Niphad taluka are also the major accident spots.The forest department wants the underpasses, while constructing the proposed highway (Surat-Chennai) and railway line (Nashik-Pune).When asked, the forest officials said there are some spots on the existing highways where leopards have died in accidents in the past. It is, however, difficult to build underpasses at the existing highways. Hence, we are taking care of the underpasses at the proposed highways and railway lines in the district, the official said.We also published the following articles recentlyWhy is this railway underpass in Bengalurus Panathur such a bane?Commuters in Bengaluru are facing perpetual traffic chaos at the Panathur railway underpass. The underpass, which is crucial for IT professionals due to its proximity to tech parks and offices, has become a dreaded bottleneck. The narrow width of the road and the absence of signals have caused snarls for half-a-km on both sides. Land acquisition challenges have hindered road-widening efforts, and the area also lacks footpaths and open drains, making walking perilous. Despite the challenges, commuters have no other options but to use the underpass.Croma Road underpass is a water vent of rlys, not meant for vehiclesThe vent below the railway line near Panathur Road in Bengaluru gets flooded during rain, causing traffic issues. The vent is actually meant for water drainage and not for vehicles. Motorists use the vent to save travel time despite warnings from the railways. Residents have to pump out water to facilitate movement of vehicles and have even spent money to clear the road. There is a need for the government to ask the railways to widen the vent to avoid such problems.Vehicles driving wrong side choke Indiranagar underpassThe Indiranagar underpass on the Mumbai-Agra highway in Nashik is experiencing heavy traffic, particularly after 9pm, as motorists are using the vehicular underpass from the Govindnagar side, which is not permitted. Due to this, there have been traffic jams and instances of wrong-side driving. The city traffic police are trying to enforce the no-entry rule, but many motorists are flouting it after 9pm. The police have plans to make surprise visits and take action against those violating the rules.

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