Assam Lags Behind in Green Highways Drive as Tree Plantation Along NHs Falls Short of Targets

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: A few decades ago, people travelling towards Upper Assam from Guwahati used to see many trees and greenery at the point where the national highway descends to a plain level after crossing Jorabat. When the NH was converted to a four-lane one, numerous trees were cut down, and the greenery by the side of the national highway started disappearing gradually.

This is just an example of the kind of loss in tree and green cover along NHs in the state. The worst part is that the trees felled for road development were not replaced, although there is a policy in place for planting trees or saplings along the NHs.

It has now emerged that Assam failed to meet the target set for planting saplings along NHs in the past three financial years (FYs). The picture is even worse, as data reveals that 15 states out of the 22 in the country exceeded the target for planting trees along NHs. Moreover, 7 states have failed to achieve the plantation target, including Assam. This gloomy scenario can be blamed on road development agencies that are responsible for NH development, as they have failed to adhere to the guidelines.

As per the latest information available with The Sentinel, in the past three FYs, it was proposed that 2.23 lakh saplings will be planted in Assam between 2023-24 and 2025-26. However, only 1.61 lakh saplings were planted, falling short of the target by 62,000. There is also the question of survival of the saplings planted in this period. The FY-wise proposed planting of saplings and the achievement were – in 2023-24, 1.04 lakh was proposed and 85,000 was achieved; in 2024-25, the figures were 92,000 and 43,000, respectively; in 2025-26, they were 27,000 and 32,000.

Moreover, 7 states that have failed to achieve the plantation target are Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Assam. On the other hand, the 15 states that exceeded their plantation targets were Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the government had formulated the Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy, 2015, for planting trees and greenery along and on the sides of NHs.

The policy deals with avenue and median plantation, landscaping, beautification and transplantation wherever feasible, along the NHs. It aims at environmental conservation, carbon sequestration, dust and noise reduction, enhancement of road safety and creation of employment opportunities. The policy provides for plantation of suitable indigenous species, maintenance of plantations for the prescribed period, involvement of agencies including government organisations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and self-help groups, and use of technology-based monitoring. The responsibility for conducting periodic inspections to verify plantation, survival rate, and maintenance falls on project directors, implementation units, and regional offices.

Given that Assam has not met its tree plantation targets along national highways, it is crucial for road development agencies to initiate plantation drives to enhance tree cover and mitigate the environmental impact of decreased tree cover in the state.

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