News Detail

The casual approach of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on compensatory plantations has been once again exposed with over 18,000 saplings it claims to have planted between Wadi and Kondhali on Amravati Road have virtually died. The plantations in the 40.800km patch were done in July 2013 by roping in Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM).

In 2011, when the road was widened from two lanes to four, NHAI's concessionaire Atlanta Infra Assets Limited claimed to have planted 11,022 trees but not one survived. The NHAI had imposed a penalty of INR 2.55 lakh on Atlanta for plantation failure and entered into a INR 2.24 crore agreement with FDCM on 01.08.2012. The FDCM is to hand over plantations after four years in 2016.

Shockingly, in the first year only the saplings have vanished on both sides of the NH6 from Wadi to Kondhali. On a PIL filed by city-based NGO Nature Conservation Association (NCA), NHAI claims to have planted 18,846 trees. However, a site visit by TOI on Thursday found that there were no saplings, and those standing were virtually dead due to bad maintenance. As per the agreement, plantations were to be done in three rows. The third row was to have tall and shade giving trees like peepal, banyan, mango, neem and jamun. However, plantations are missing in first row, forget about second and third row. Speaking. then FDCM divisional manager of Nagpur SP Wadaskar claimed 18,846 trees were planted in July 2013. "We received INR 9 lakh from NHAI initially as per the agreement. After July, I don't know the progress as I was transferred," Wadaskar said.

Wadaskar's successor DP Dahat said that plantations are very much there and FDCM is watering the plants. "Leaves of the plants must have shed and will come again after watering. I was not at the helm of affairs when plantations were done," said Dahat. NHAI project director Naresh Wadetwar too claimed that 18,846 saplings have been planted on both sides of the road. "However, I will not be able to tell you the latest position about how many saplings are in place. Till now we have released over INR 50 lakh to FDCM," Wadetwar said. The FDCM has sought release another INR 1.09 crore.

A joint inspection was done by NHAI and FDCM officials somewhere in October 2013 when it was still raining. The paper of inspection on plantations has several corrections by hand. The total plantation has been shown as 19,014 saplings. Out of this, 465 plants were dead. Number of survived plants has been shown as 18,549, whereas actual saplings planted include 18,846. However, all the plantations have virtually died or are on the verge of dying.

As per the agreement, FDCM was to plant saplings from July to October. An immediate inspection after this will always find plants safe, but now there are no plants. The NHAI has also not installed tree guards following which entire plantations have been destroyed. Dahat said, "Tenders have been floated to procure tree guards." However, by the time tree guards reach, not a single sapling will be left it seems.

The PIL has claimed that in 100km patch from Nagpur to Talegaon, 10,482 big trees were felled. It included 6,282 trees between Nagpur and Kondhali and 4,200 between Kondhali and Talegaon. As per the MoEF guidelines, if three times the trees to be planted for those cut is considered, the NHAI needed to plant 31,446 trees, but it has actually planted 10,459 trees, and almost all the plantations have died.

NHAI has poor plantation record: If a glance at 150km radius of road development by NHAI from Nagpur is considered, the authority chopped 70,598 trees. It includes 30,748 trees on NH 6, 28,633 trees on NH 7, & 11,217 on NH 69. The NHAI planted 38,415 trees but there are hardly many survivors.

Source-On Request