Forest Dept offers consultancy to NHAI for planting trees

Tamil Nadu Forest Department today offered consultancy to the National Highways Authority for planting and maintainting trees along the national highways in the State.
The offer was made at the Madurai Bench of the Madras High court here which was hearing a PIL and contempt petition against the NHAI Project Director(PD) charging him of not planting trees as directed by the High Court earlier.
The forest department made the offer when the PD submitted that in some stretches the soil conditions did not suit the saplings planted and they dried for lack of rain and water. Efforts were being taken for planting and preserving trees under the Avenue Plantation/Green High ways Schemes.

The PD said that as per the direction of the court the department had started planting sapling on the NHAI four lane projects including Dindigul-Samayanallur, Madurai-Aruppukottai-Tuticorin;Madurai-Kanyakumari.The Madurai DFO had supplied 20000 saplings for rs.Eight lakh,and the plantation would be completed within today.
Regarding further steps for maintaining the saplings the NHAI had sought estimate from the forest department and estimate was expected tobe submitted in ten days by the tamilnadu forest department officials.
As the court had directed to plant 10 saplings for every tree cut,the forest department even offered lands for planting the trees in case the High way authority had land space constraint.

Meanwhile NHAI Deputy General Manager D.Chandrasekhar Reddy submitted that land was not sufficient for developing saplings and the NHAI proposed to raise the saplings in six acres of land. He said in Tiruchi and Thanjavur 20000 saplings had been planted. They would complete the tree planting before this monsoon season.

Justice R Sudhakar and V M Velumani posted the case for further hearing to February 2016 and said the NHAI should submit a report on the status of trees planted and new proposals.
The court had earlier ordered NHAI to plant 10 saplings for every tree cut for the four lane Project by NHAI's Implementation Unit.

The bench ordered that planting should begin on the sides of the highways on February 15, 2014 and be completed in six months. As the order was not implemented contempt petition was filed and it was heard today.