The work on Tiger Corridor-1, an important part of the four-lane Nagpur–Katol Highway, is likely to begin by the end of March. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) informed the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court that the tender process for the project is in its final stage and the contract is expected to be awarded soon. After taking note of this assurance, the High Court disposed of the public interest litigation but said, the matter will be reviewed again in October to check whether the NHAI has complied with its promises.

 

The case was heard by Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode. During the hearing, NHAI Project Director Chandrakant Sinha filed an affidavit and assured the court that the remaining formalities are being completed quickly. According to the affidavit, 24 tenders have been received for Tiger Corridor-1 and their evaluation is currently underway. Once the contract is awarded, the contractor will have to complete the work within 18 months, with the target date set as December 31, 2027. The Tiger Corridor-1 work will be carried out between design chainage 37+000 and 45+990 on the Nagpur–Katol section. Officials told the court that the corridor is important not only for highway expansion but also for the safe movement of wildlife in the region.

 

 

The authority also informed the court about future plans for the Katol Bypass and Tiger Corridor-2. The new proposal for this phase will be prepared by June 30, 2026. The tender process is expected to be completed by September 30, 2026, and the contract may be awarded in October 2026. Officials said, the work will have a completion period of 24 months. The final design of Tiger Corridor-2 will be decided after discussions with wildlife organisations and environment officials. Importantly, the proposed 12-km Katol bypass will pass outside Katol city and will not affect traffic inside the city. Meanwhile, NHAI has issued a 60-day cure period notice to concerned contractors, including Agarwal Global Infratech and JSC AI Vozhorozhodenis, over pending works on other sections of the highway. The authority has warned that if the contractors fail to complete the work within the given time, NHAI will finish the remaining work at the contractors’ risk and cost. The High Court has made it clear that although the petition is disposed of for now, the matter will be taken up again in October to verify compliance.