NHAI makes 80% plantation key to highway completion certificate
National Highways Authority of India now requires 80% plantation coverage for project completion. A minimum 90% sapling survival rate is also mandated for provisional certification. Financial withholdings will enforce outstanding plantation work completion and target achievement. Payments during the operations period will link to maintaining plant survival rates. Timely replacement of dead or…
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has introduced stringent requirements for plantation and landscaping along national highway projects. These new guidelines stipulate that plantation must cover at least 80% of the available Right of Way (ROW) designated for trees, and a minimum 90% survival rate of the saplings at inspection time is mandatory for provisional completion certification.
To ensure compliance, NHAI has issued clear guidelines that mandate strict adherence to contractual obligations related to plantation along highway medians and avenues. This move aims to promote environmental sustainability as a crucial aspect of both the construction and long-term maintenance of national highways.
In cases where plantation targets are not fully met, NHAI will hold the responsible parties accountable. Any shortfall exceeding the recommended 80% coverage must be explicitly documented, accompanied by a clear timeline for completing the remaining plantation work.
Furthermore, NHAI will impose financial withholdings, as permitted under the relevant contract or concession agreement, until the outstanding plantation obligations are fulfilled and the required targets are achieved. The authority has also reinforced maintenance requirements during the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) phase of National Highway projects.
For projects utilizing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), hybrid annuity mode (HAM), and build-operate-transfer (BOT) annuity models, payment releases will be contingent upon maintaining a minimum 90% survival rate throughout the O&M period. In BOT-Toll projects, the same survival requirement will be applied when evaluating maintenance performance.
The guidelines emphasize the importance of timely replacement of dead or damaged plants, with replacements required to be of similar age and growth to maintain consistency along the highway corridor. In the event of plant mortality, replacements must adhere to these specifications to uphold uniformity throughout the project.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times - Economy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
