The environment ministry expert panel has cleared the Varanasi Kolkata expressway, removing a major regulatory hurdle for the flagship corridor under the Bharatmala programme. The route will link Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with Kolkata through Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and early estimates placed the project cost at about Rs 285 billion (bn) to Rs 350 bn, with reports citing a total length of roughly 610 to 620 km. The latest filings highlighted a 235 km greenfield stretch in West Bengal that requires forest diversion.\n\nThe panel noted that the West Bengal section would involve diversion of more than 103 hectares of reserved and protected forest land and the cutting of about 50,000 trees in forest and non-forest areas. It recommended wildlife crossing structures in line with the divisional forest officer's advice, including underpasses up to eight to 10 metres in height and a bridge span of about 300 metres where required. Those measures were presented as essential to reduce habitat fragmentation and maintain connectivity.\n\nAt present the road journey between Varanasi and Kolkata usually takes 12 to 14 hours depending on traffic, route and road conditions and the expressway is expected to cut that to six to seven hours, roughly halving travel time and improving freight movement between eastern and northern India. The corridor is viewed as an economic artery that could link industrial and logistics hubs more efficiently with the eastern metropolis and support trade and tourism across the region. Several states have advanced preparatory work while others have sought alignment changes, underscoring the need for sustained inter-state coordination.\n\nClearing the environmental hurdle constitutes one step but execution risks remain, including final approval for forest diversion, timely implementation of wildlife safeguards, land acquisition and continued coordination between states. The project has become emblematic of how ambitious infrastructure plans can take years to move from announcement to completion and will be judged on whether paperwork now converts into on ground progress. The real test will be timely delivery while meeting environmental and social safeguards.