Gandhinagar: The Gujarat State Road Development Corporation Limited (GSRDC) has invited tenders for the engagement of consultants to carry out forest clearance activities for multiple packages of two major expressway projects in the state — the Namo Shakti Expressway and the Dwarka-Somnath Expressway.

Six separate tenders have been issued for consultancy work that will cover six packages: Package 1 — Deesa to Surendranagar (220 km) and Package 2 — Surendranagar to Pipavav (211 km), which are part of the Namo Shakti Expressway; and Package 3 — Rajkot to Dwarka (209 km), Package 4 — Rajkot to Porbandar (190 km), Package 5 — Ahmedabad to Rajkot (170 km), and Package 6 — Jetpur to Somnath (110 km), which are part of the Somnath-Dwarka Expressway.

The consultants will be responsible for preparing proposals and maps in compliance with the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980; Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; and Forest Rights Act, 2006. This includes online registration on the MoEF&CC portal, coordination with forest and wildlife departments, obtaining Stage-I and Stage-II approvals, and securing working permission within 12 months. GSRDC has specifically invited retired forest officials with relevant experience to ensure the timely and effective execution of forest clearance formalities.

This comes in the backdrop of GSRDC’s earlier invitation seeking consultants to prepare Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and conduct feasibility studies for the same expressway corridors.

The expressways, collectively spanning over 1,100 kilometers, were announced in the state budget earlier this year, with the Namo Shakti Expressway (430 km) estimated to cost ₹39,120 crore and the Somnath–Dwarka Expressway (680 km) projected at ₹57,120 crore. These mega projects are expected to boost trade routes, tourism, and economic development in Gujarat, and the forest clearance process is a critical milestone toward their execution. DeshGujarat