New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has introduced stricter plantation norms for National Highway projects, linking green compliance with provisional project completion.
Under the new guidelines, plantation must cover at least 80% of the available Right of Way (ROW) earmarked for plantation, while saplings must maintain a minimum 90% survival rate at the time of inspection.
Plantation Now Linked to Project Completion
NHAI said median and avenue plantation must follow contractual obligations and guidelines under the Green Highways Policy, 2015, IRC:SP:21-2009 and other relevant Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and NHAI norms.
Projects will meet the plantation requirement for issuance of the Provisional Certificate of Completion (PCC) or Provisional Commercial Operation Date (PCOD) only after achieving the prescribed coverage and survival standards.
If plantation falls below the 80% threshold, the shortfall must be recorded along with a timeline for completion. Financial withholdings under the relevant contract or concession agreement will continue until the pending plantation work is completed.
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90% Survival Required During Maintenance
The new rules also strengthen plantation requirements during the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) period.
O&M and annuity payments for EPC, HAM and BOT Annuity projects, along with maintenance compliance in BOT-Toll projects, will depend on maintaining at least 90% plant survival.
Dead plants must be replaced promptly with plants of similar age and growth to maintain uniformity along the highway corridor.
NHAI will also take technical assistance from its environment and plantation experts to verify field-level compliance before processing payments or certifying maintenance compliance.
Focus on Sustainable Highway Development
NHAI had earlier observed that plantation, despite being a contractual requirement, often received less attention during the issuance of PCC and PCOD.
The revised guidelines aim to make plantation an integral part of highway construction as well as long-term maintenance. The move is expected to strengthen green cover along National Highway corridors while ensuring that plantation commitments result in sustained environmental benefits.
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