Along the banks of the Vishwamitri River, in Gujarat, an unlikely stakeholder is shaping the way L&T builds civil infrastructure. The Mumbai – Ahmedabad High Speed Rail [MAHSR or bullet train] project runs through a bask of mugger crocodiles (crocodylus palustris), a Schedule I species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The mugger is both a symbol of ecological balance and a real on-ground challenge. For L&T’s Heavy Civil Infrastructure team executing the bullet train project, the task is not just about building at speed and scale but doing so while ensuring the safety of its workhands and the protection of this formidable resident of the river.
But for us at L&T, engineering excellence goes hand in hand with environmental stewardship. From safeguarding flamingo habitats on the Sewri mudflat during the construction of the Atal Setu to preserving marine ecosystems along the Coastal Road, L&T has always believed in the symbiotic co-existence of progress and biodiversity.
Cut to the present, we considered the muggers on the Viswamitri River as remarkable as the Bullet Train project.
Led by our ‘Environment Health Safety’ team, we put in place a ‘Crocodile Conservation Plan,’ combining scientific planning, safety management, understanding the potential negative impact of construction on the crocodile population, and building community awareness to ensure speedy project progress.
The findings of a baseline ecological survey by biodiversity experts that mapped crocodile habitats, basking zones, and nesting sites formed the basis for the Crocodile Conservation Plan. The survey helped formulate specific control measures such as restricting access to sensitive areas and adjusting work timings around the breeding season.
Encountering crocodiles inside the pile excavation threatened people’s safety, especially during the monsoon, for which crocodile handlers were deployed round the clock to avoid conflicts. Safety signage was put up at all locations where there was a likelihood of crocodile intervention, declaring them as ‘no-disturbance’ areas and fencing them off to prevent intrusions. This also created safe enclosures for the workers, away from the crocodile nesting areas.
The team also preserved ecosystem conduit pipes to maintain uninterrupted water flow and movement pathways for aquatic life. In addition, L&T employed specialised wildlife rescue teams, equipped with capture cages and crocodile transport vehicles to keep reptiles safe. Nearly 20 crocodiles were rescued and relocated from high-risk construction zones to protected habitats.
As a part of awareness programmes for both workers and local communities to reduce their fear of crocodiles, over 150 personnel were trained in safe practices in crocodile-prone zones, including what to do during sightings. Safety PPEs, warning signage, crocodile exclusion fencing and emergency protocols have been established to ensure preparedness in the event of an encounter.
By conserving the crocodiles, the L&T project team has not only protected an endangered species but also indirectly safeguarded the larger biodiversity in the Vishwamitri ecosystem that includes birds, amphibians and fish species dependent on the same habitat. Consequently, there was a rise in mugger crocodile population from 275 in 2020 to 442 by 2025 in the Vishwamitri River region.
With careful planning and a deep respect for environment and biodiversity, we have proven time and again that even large-scale infrastructure projects, such as India’s first bullet train project, can coexist responsibly with the natural world.
At another Central Asian project site, located within a semi‑arid steppe ecosystem, is the natural habitat for the Central Asian Tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii), a species listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The species is burrow‑dependent, slow‑moving and highly sensitive to land disturbance, which makes it vulnerable to threat from the construction activities.
Our pre‑construction biodiversity walkover surveys confirmed a high density of tortoise burrows across the site. Moving beyond a purely outsourced or reactive model, L&T’s site team developed an integrated approach to tortoise protection, combining habitat‑based solutions, controlled relocation, veterinary oversight and daily monitoring. A fenced ‘no-go-zone’ with natural vegetation, soil and climatic
conditions equivalent to the original tortoise habitat was established. Shallow water points and winter trenches were prepared to support natural hibernation conditions.
Feeding, veterinary screening and daily monitoring were carried out by the EHS team at site. Proving that even as we build infrastructure for the future, we leave no stone unturned to protect the planet.
