NHAI plans to rope in NGOs to rev up highways for plantation drives

The NHAI plans to engage with NGOs, social groups and educational institutions to seek citizen participation in these drives.

NEW DELHI:   To ensure the survival of maximum saplings and greater citizen participation in plantation drives, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to include NGOs, social organisations and education institutions in plantation drives along the national highways.

The popular notion is that NHAI is destroying the environment by cutting trees. In fact, however, the NHAI has successfully carried out the translocation of 68,000 trees including 12,000 trees under construction Dwarka expressway. In Aurangabad, NHAI managed to save 51 Banyan trees, each 50 to 100 years old.

“A significant number of seedlings do not survive, therefore saplings shall be planted to maximise outcome. Trees introduced during plantation drives are also being geo-tagged so that their growth can be monitored. It has also been resolved that the plantation wouldn’t be carried out through contractors. Ideally, it should be done by those who are interested. So, the NHAI will engage NGOs, social groups and education institutions for the same. The authority will provide all possible resources,” said officials privy to the development.