PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has announced plans to expand the state\u2019s J P Ganga Path (Marine Drive) project into a 126-km corridor along the Ganga, stretching from Koilwar on the Sone River, at an estimated cost of Rs 70,000 crore.
The proposed project is part of the state government\u2019s broader push to accelerate infrastructure development, attract private investment, and generate employment through large-scale projects linked to rivers, industrial corridors, and urban expansion.
Choudhary said the existing 21-km J P Ganga Path stretch was built at a cost of around Rs 6,000 crore. He credited former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with initiating the project in 2013, which was completed in 2025.
\u201CYou can see the Marine Drive here now. Mumbai built its Marine Drive back in 1970. Nitish Kumar initiated this project in 2013, and it was completed by 2025,\u201D Choudhary remarked.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/337f04ea-fbfa-4bf4-9bfd-545961bfdc6a/element/d3846ecf-7821-4d41-ab49-57cb92dfc1ab","type":"text","family-id":"ff059b07-5eac-4d03-aa27-0d03d0b4890d","title":"","id":"d3846ecf-7821-4d41-ab49-57cb92dfc1ab","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"a98e6519-d960-48ac-b494-24279923c379","linked-story":{"updated-at":1771654017132,"author-name":"Ramashankar","headline":"Bihar govt approves construction of Sonepur greenfield airport; Rs 1,302 crore for land acquisition","story-content-id":"a98e6519-d960-48ac-b494-24279923c379","is-published":true,"slug":"india/2026/Feb/21/bihar-govt-approves-construction-of-sonepur-greenfield-airport-rs-1302-crore-for-land-acquisition","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1771654018405,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{},"sections":[{"id":66224,"name":"Nation","slug":"nation","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/preview/story/p1rQyPbR2dBAxjHe5PHOOONOD7yUhni4ovnt-LH1gL9t2Ne9vnIshF8wbVm__GsP","published-at":1771654018405,"status":"published","id":"a98e6519-d960-48ac-b494-24279923c379","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Feb/21/bihar-govt-approves-construction-of-sonepur-greenfield-airport-rs-1302-crore-for-land-acquisition","author-id":1960730,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":1960730,"name":"Ramashankar","email":"rama123@gmail.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"p1rQyPbR2dBAxjHe5PHOOONOD7yUhni4ovnt-LH1gL9t2Ne9vnIshF8wbVm__GsP","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Bihar govt approves construction of Sonepur greenfield airport; Rs 1,302 crore for land acquisition"}],"card-updated-at":1787494094679,"content-version-id":"e0a4d87b-623a-4bdc-8dbb-42caa64b5ff5","card-added-at":1787493794386,"status":"draft","id":"e3a7e9f4-bfac-4aa4-8015-822c15d632e2","content-id":"e3a7e9f4-bfac-4aa4-8015-822c15d632e2","version":10,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Bihar plans 126-km Ganga corridor at Rs 70,000 crore","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2026-07-21/nc1telfm/Samrat-Choudhary.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"File Photo | ANI","alt-text":null,"caption":"Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":[360,55],"width":894,"file-size":76284,"file-name":"Samrat-Choudhary.jpg","height":503}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/337f04ea-fbfa-4bf4-9bfd-545961bfdc6a/element/9a5248c9-d1a3-46ba-815f-82776cf088cf","type":"text","family-id":"f099661f-4c06-433f-b68f-1a561535c0f4","title":"","id":"9a5248c9-d1a3-46ba-815f-82776cf088cf","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The proposed expansion is expected to be funded through a mix of government and private investment. The state government is likely to contribute Rs 20,000 crore, while private entities are expected to invest around Rs 50,000 crore.
Choudhary said the project would go beyond improving connectivity and would create new opportunities for investment and employment. He said the government decided to extend the corridor along the Ganga after developing the existing stretch with its own resources.
The announcement comes amid political scrutiny over the Bihar government\u2019s investment agreements. RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav recently questioned the financial capacity of Global Renewable Advanced Clean Energy Private Limited, which signed a Rs 22,500-crore MoU for a nuclear energy project.
Tejashwi pointed to the company\u2019s incorporation in February 2026, its authorised capital of Rs 10 lakh and paid-up capital of Rs 1 lakh, and sought details on the progress of earlier MoUs.
The government\u2019s latest infrastructure plans thus place a strong emphasis on turning investment proposals into projects, with large-scale connectivity and river-based development forming a key part of Bihar\u2019s broader economic expansion.
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The proposed allocation is based on a 17 per cent share assigned to Andhra Pradesh in the conflict-risk assessment under the Regional Action Plan for Comprehensive Understanding and Management of Human-Elephant Conflict in South India.
The report was prepared by the Project Elephant Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and was recently released by Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan in Visakhapatnam on World Elephant Day.
The five-year action plan proposes a total financial outlay of Rs 999.87 crore for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Of this, Rs 500 crore is proposed as Central assistance, with Rs 480 crore earmarked for the four States and Rs 20 crore for the WII\u2019s Elephant Cell for research, monitoring and evaluation. \b
State jumbo population increased to 142 in 2023
The State-wise shares were determined using a composite conflict-risk index based on elephant population, conflict intensity per 100 elephants and the geographical area of elephant distribution.
Karnataka accounts for 38 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu at 25 per cent, Kerala at 20 per cent and Andhra Pradesh at 17 per cent. The report describes Andhra Pradesh as a relatively recent elephant range compared with the other southern States. Elephants are believed to have recolonised the State from the Hosur-Dharmapuri forests in the 1980s.
"}],"card-updated-at":1787177158259,"content-version-id":"8ac4dc8a-4c0a-4847-8825-511d5079eac1","card-added-at":1787176665103,"status":"draft","id":"f4c36f90-301e-4b51-8668-fb39084ba599","content-id":"f4c36f90-301e-4b51-8668-fb39084ba599","version":4,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Andhra Pradesh to receive over Rs 169 crore to solve human-elephant conflict","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2026-08-20/tuke242y/1elephant1s.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"(File photo | EPS)","alt-text":null,"caption":null,"metadata":{"width":1280,"height":720,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":373557,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/6c24180f-61dd-4742-89c9-08dbdd51ca0f/element/df39d7f8-a866-4661-a518-7f6de69d4b67","type":"text","family-id":"98020a48-47d1-4b3b-b6ef-98fcc6a2e7f0","title":"","id":"df39d7f8-a866-4661-a518-7f6de69d4b67","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The estimated elephant population increased from 65 in 2017 to 142 in 2023. The main elephant-bearing areas are Chittoor, Tirupati and Annamayya districts, while smaller groups have been recorded in Srikakulam and Parvathipuram Manyam.
Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding forests are important elephant habitats.
However, agriculture, cattle grazing and fuelwood collection have increased pressure on these landscapes and brought elephants into closer contact with people.
The State recorded four human deaths in elephant-related incidents in 2019-20, six in 2020-21, none in 2021-22, five in 2022-23 and six in 2023-24.
Elephant deaths during the corresponding years were seven, four, four, five and 10 respectively.
Electrocution is identified as a major cause of unnatural elephant deaths.
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The study recorded 954 deaths due to encounters with wild animals between 2000 and 2025.
Of these, 438, nearly 46%, occurred between 2020 and 2025, pointing to a disproportionate rise in fatal encounters during the recent period. Another 2,335 people were injured during these six years.
\u201CThe sharp concentration of deaths and injuries after 2020 indicates that human wildlife conflict is no longer an occasional problem. It has emerged as a serious threat to life and livelihoods across Uttarakhand,\u201D Sati, a native of the Himalayan state, told TNIE.
Fatalities touched a high of 84 in 2024, followed by 82 in 2022. Injuries peaked at 512 in 2024, while 488 cases were reported in 2025.
Leopards were the deadliest species over the study period, accounting for 548 human deaths and 2,127 injuries.
Elephants caused 230 deaths and 234 injuries, while tigers were responsible for 106 fatalities and 130 injuries. Bear attacks claimed 70 lives and injured 2,013 people. Sati said bear related attacks had risen noticeably in 2025, particularly in the middle Himalayan region.
Wildlife estimates cited in the study put Uttarakhand\u2019s bear population at around 3,200, followed by 2,276 leopards and 2,026 elephants. The tiger population is estimated at 560.
Conflict patterns vary across the state. Pauri, which has the highest leopard population, frequently reports encounters involving leopards and bears.
"}],"card-updated-at":1786620270370,"content-version-id":"f28fcdc3-202a-4ebc-8ed2-c12d05fdfb1f","card-added-at":1786620013046,"status":"draft","id":"db65188b-747e-4da8-9b4e-29d2051713b9","content-id":"db65188b-747e-4da8-9b4e-29d2051713b9","version":8,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Uttarakhand records 46 PC of human-wildlife conflict deaths since 2020","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2025-05-29/2wame00f/New-Project-2025-05-29T082951.130.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"(Photo | Express illustration )","alt-text":null,"caption":"The study recorded 954 deaths due to encounters with wild animals between 2000 and 2025. ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":258219,"file-name":"New-Project-2025-05-29T082951.130.jpg","height":800}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/30dfa625-c63a-4e12-8e59-4878d2577193/element/0a37f62f-23e4-441c-9344-62969cc98505","type":"text","family-id":"013ad119-3ae5-4967-a5f8-56cd3855bf0d","title":"","id":"0a37f62f-23e4-441c-9344-62969cc98505","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Tehri is another major hotspot. In Nainital, the concentration of tigers and leopards around the Corbett landscape contributes significantly to attacks.
Elephants dominate conflict incidents in the plains districts of Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar.
In Haridwar, elephant deaths are also frequently reported along the Dehradun-Haridwar railway line. The study attributed such collisions to the absence of a properly designed and protected elephant corridor.
In the middle Himalayas, bears and leopards cause most casualties, while wild boars and langurs inflict extensive damage on standing crops.
\u201CDistrict specific conservation measures, secure wildlife corridors and faster response systems are essential,\u201D Sati said. \u201CA uniform policy cannot address the distinct conflict patterns of the plains, middle Himalayas and high altitude regions.\u201D
In 2025 alone, 68 people were killed and 488 injured in such incidents, Prof. Sati said.
Pauri recorded the highest number of human wildlife conflict related fatalities in Uttarakhand, with 53 deaths, followed by Almora with 47 and Tehri with 36.
Chamoli and Nainital reported 30 fatalities each, while Dehradun and Pithoragarh also recorded substantial losses. In contrast, Bageshwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Champawat each reported fewer than 20 wildlife related deaths.
"},{"id":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","description":"","title":"","subtype":null,"type":"text","text":"","metadata":{"promotional-message":true}}],"card-updated-at":1786620270370,"content-version-id":"4ed43fc6-af3b-496d-aa04-13391ca88943","card-added-at":1786620270370,"status":"draft","id":"9cf9b91f-6850-42db-bf99-4fd443a34f05","content-id":"9cf9b91f-6850-42db-bf99-4fd443a34f05","version":1,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Uttarakhand records 46 PC of human-wildlife conflict deaths since 2020","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2025-05-29/2wame00f/New-Project-2025-05-29T082951.130.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"(Photo | Express illustration )","alt-text":null,"caption":"The study recorded 954 deaths due to encounters with wild animals between 2000 and 2025. ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":258219,"file-name":"New-Project-2025-05-29T082951.130.jpg","height":800}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Aug/13/uttarakhand-records-46-pc-of-human-wildlife-conflict-deaths-since-2020","story-version-id":"d0f61728-c132-4a05-8a03-84efbfcc0356","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1786620273968,"author-id":1872070,"owner-id":1954023,"linked-story-ids":[],"access":null,"promotional-message":"","asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1786620273169,"hero-image-caption":"The study recorded 954 deaths due to encounters with wild animals between 2000 and 2025. ","version":8,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1786620270356,"authors":[{"slug":"narendra-sethi","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/narendrassethi"},"linkedin":{"url":"linkedin.com/in/narendra-s-sethi-949279248"}},"name":"Narendra Sethi","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Narendra Sethi covers North India\u2019s politics and crime for The New Indian Express. His bold reporting unpacks regional issues, offering readers clear insights into governance and society. ","id":1872070,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Prithivishaa C"},{"updated-at":1785418260694,"seo":{"claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":1960658,"author-name":"Express News Service","tags":[{"id":7308224,"name":"wild animal attacks","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"wild-animal-attacks","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"50 human casualties in wild animal attacks reported in Madhya Pradesh in 2026","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"e5385164-319a-43d5-8892-b71765afc280","slug":"states/madhya-pradesh/2026/Jul/30/50-human-casualties-in-wild-animal-attacks-reported-in-madhya-pradesh-in-2026","last-published-at":1785418263703,"public-identifier":null,"subheadline":"As many as 5804 humans were injured in attacks by wild animals between 2020-21 and 2024-25, while 72,627 cases of livestock loss due to attack by wild animals were also reported during the same five-year period.","alternative":{},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"madhya-pradesh","name":"Madhya Pradesh","section-url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/madhya-pradesh","id":102598,"parent-id":66217,"display-name":"Madhya Pradesh","collection":{"slug":"madhya-pradesh-states","name":"Madhya Pradesh","id":226272},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1785416499070,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"S Sreejith","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":5591,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":82407,"file-name":"elephant.jpg","height":700},"comments":null,"word-count":583,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1785418263703,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"(File Photo Express Illustrations)","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"e5385164-319a-43d5-8892-b71765afc280","hero-image-s3-key":"newindianexpress/2024-12-16/cy2tysh8/elephant.jpg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e5385164-319a-43d5-8892-b71765afc280/element/158bf401-415f-4f97-bbfb-91536d6125c0","type":"text","family-id":"08443b81-1ea0-4171-8ac7-6fdcfa11fd84","title":"","id":"158bf401-415f-4f97-bbfb-91536d6125c0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Bhopal: Widely recognised as India\u2019s richest wildlife state, Madhya Pradesh has reported as many as 50 human casualties so far this year.
According to latest statistics available with the state forest department, 22 of those human casualties were caused by tigers (MP is also India\u2019s Tiger State), eight by wild boars, seven by elephants and four by sloth bears, while just casualty was caused by leopard.
Out of the 50 casualties, at least 16 were girls and women, while the remaining were boys and men.
Maximum 30 fatalities were reported in three months \u2013 March (7 deaths), April (13 deaths) and May (10 deaths) \u2013 when the humans, mostly tribal population, frequent forest areas for Tendu leaves and Mahua flower collection.
Among the 22 human casualties caused by tigers, maximum 14 deaths occurred in the densely forested Mahakoshal region, particularly parts of Seoni region (which is famous as land of Jungle Book\u2019s Mowgli), while seven deaths were reported in eastern Madhya Pradesh\u2019s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and adjoining areas, which house the densest tiger population in the state.
When it came to eight human deaths caused by wild boars, the casualties were well distributed across various parts of the state, including eastern, southern and western parts
The seven deaths which were caused following trampling by elephants were reported from the eastern MP districts neighbouring Chhattisgarh (the gateway of wild elephants into MP), including Anuppur, Sidhi and Shahdol.
Three of the four deaths caused reportedly due to sloth bear attacks were reported from eastern MP districts, neighbouring Chhattisgarh, including Sidhi and Shahdol.
Importantly, as per the state forest department data, as many as 406 human casualties in wild animal attacks, were reported in MP between 2020-21 and 2024-25, including 90 deaths in 2020-21, 80 casualties in 2021-22, 86 deaths in 2022-23, 79 deaths in 2023-24 and 71 casualties in 2024-25.
As many as 5804 humans were injured in attacks by wild animals between 2020-21 and 2024-25, while 72,627 cases of livestock loss due to attacks by wild animals were also reported during the same five years period.
The state paid more than Rs 88.38 crore as compensation for loss of human and livestock lives during the period ranging between 2020-21 and 2024-25, with maximum Rs 20.05 crore being paid in 2024-25, followed by Rs 19.71 crore-plus in 2022-23.
"}],"card-updated-at":1785418259507,"content-version-id":"c96a3061-322a-48bb-98b9-44b056d6bd7b","card-added-at":1785416499079,"status":"draft","id":"c2d00f51-8182-4cd5-b808-d48662126f07","content-id":"c2d00f51-8182-4cd5-b808-d48662126f07","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"50 human casualties in wild animal attacks reported in Madhya Pradesh in 2026","message":null,"image":{"key":"newindianexpress/2024-12-16/cy2tysh8/elephant.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"(File Photo Express Illustrations)","alt-text":null,"caption":"Image used for representative purposes only.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":82407,"file-name":"elephant.jpg","height":700}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e5385164-319a-43d5-8892-b71765afc280/element/f2d3a4c9-273a-405d-a748-81cab6235bfa","type":"text","family-id":"3cda3cb7-db65-4e84-83e9-acc465e4d7e7","title":"","id":"f2d3a4c9-273a-405d-a748-81cab6235bfa","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Importantly, as per available statistics, according to the MP State Wildlife Action Plan, between 2019 and 2022 the state recorded an average of 66 human deaths every year due to wildlife conflict and nearly 11,182 injury cases annually.
According to sources in the forest department, expanding \u201Cconflict zones,\u201D where humans and wild animals encounter each other more frequently than ever before, are the primary cause for the rising human-animal conflicts. Not just is the population of tigers growing in MP (which houses maximum tigers in India), but the highest number of leopards, expanding sloth bear habitats and an increasing elephant presence in its eastern districts coupled with villages, farms, roads and railway lines increasingly overlapping with forests is also contributing to the issue.
Contrary to popular belief, most attacks do not occur deep inside forests, instead they take place on forest fringes where villagers collect firewood, graze cattle, harvest tendu leaves, collect mahua flowers or cultivate land adjoining forests. As wildlife disperses beyond protected areas in search of territory, prey and water, encounters become inevitable, sources added.
As per wildlife experts, the rise in conflict is paradoxically linked to conservation success. Growing tiger, leopard and bear populations require larger territories, while forest fragmentation leaves animals with fewer safe movement corridors.
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