New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has made plantation and landscaping mandatory components of National Highway development, stipulating that at least 80 per cent of the available plantation-designated Right of Way (ROW) must be covered before a project can qualify for provisional completion certification.
Under the revised guidelines issued on Wednesday, planted saplings must also record a minimum 90 per cent survival rate at the time of inspection by authorised officials.
NHAI said median and avenue plantation must be carried out strictly in accordance with the relevant contract or concession agreement, as well as guidelines prescribed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and NHAI.
“Plantation works will be considered compliant for the purpose of provisional completion certification only when plantation has been undertaken on at least 80 per cent of the available Right of Way (ROW) earmarked for plantation, with planted saplings recording a minimum survival rate of 90 per cent at the time of inspection by the officials,” the authority said.
The guidelines also require any shortfall in plantation beyond the 80 per cent threshold to be clearly recorded, along with a specific timeline for completing the remaining work.
NHAI said financial withholdings prescribed under the applicable contract or concession agreement would be enforced until the pending plantation is completed and the required target is achieved.
The new framework also places emphasis on maintaining plantation density after the initial development phase. In cases where plants die or are damaged, contractors will be required to undertake timely replacement.
The replacement plants must be of similar age and growth characteristics to the existing plantation to ensure uniformity and continuity along the highway corridor.
A key feature of the revised guidelines is the introduction of a minimum plantation threshold linked directly to the issuance of the Provisional Certificate of Completion (PCC) or Provisional Commercial Operation Date (PCOD).
NHAI had earlier observed that median and avenue plantation, despite being a contractual obligation, was often not given adequate priority at the time of issuing PCC or PCOD for National Highway projects.
The revised norms seek to address this gap by making plantation performance an integral part of project completion rather than treating it as a peripheral landscaping activity.
The authority said the guidelines reinforce its commitment to integrating environmental sustainability, plantation management and long-term maintenance into the core implementation framework of National Highway projects.
The move is expected to make green cover along highway corridors a more closely monitored component of infrastructure development, while also ensuring that plantation undertaken during construction is maintained over the longer term.
–IANS