Uttarakhand builts bridge for reptiles

Uttarakhand is famous for its innovative ideas giving the state a unique identity. A few months ago Uttarakhand government came up with a plan to convert waste into electricity. Taking advantage of the new normal, the government came up with a tourism project called workcation, where people can work in a serene green environment.

Now the Uttarakhand Forest Department has built a first of its kind ecobridge across a busy highway in Ramnagar forest division of Nainital district so that reptiles trying to cross over are not crushed under traffic.

The bridge is a ninety –foot long structure of bamboo and jute and grasses. The five-foot wide, 40-foot-high bridge can take the weight of three adult humans.
It was built across the two- lane Kaladhungi-Nainital highway by local contractors over a period of 10 days at a cost of Rs 2-lakh.

The highway is the main route to Nainital. The highway is busy most of the time especially in the tourist season. The jungle is home to monitor lizards, snakes including pythons, rodent squirrels, and monkeys, and the crushed remains of reptiles are frequently found on the highway