ITC partners with NHAI for green highways in Andhra Pradesh

ITC has partnered with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for developing green highways under National Green Highway Mission (NGHM).
"To pursue the objectives of the NGHM, ITC's Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division will develop a project for tree plantation, focused on productive as well as conservation attributes, on the available stretches of NHs located in Andhra Pradesh (AP)," ITC said in a statement.
Two stretches have been identified for the pilot phase, with a total NH length of about 264 Kilometers, it said.
"The first stretch on NH 40 from Kurnool to Kadappa is of 114 Kilometer, with an estimated plantable area of 100 hectares, while the second stretch on NH 44 from Hyderabad to Bengaluru is of 149 km, with an estimated plantable area of another 100 hectares," ITC said.

Commenting on the initiative, Sanjay Singh, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC's Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division, said: "We are delighted to collaborate with the NHAI for this landmark initiative...ITC's experience in greening over 243,000 hectares will enable us to contribute meaningfully to this project. This collaboration will significantly augment the country's green cover, besides creating sustainable livelihoods for rural and marginalised communities."
A K Bhattacharya, MD, NGHM said the mission will address the environmental degradation.

As per the agreement signed with NHAI, user rights for plantations, management and sustainable harvesting for the identified stretches of NH road side land will be provided to ITC for a period of 20 years.

ITC said its Social and Farm Forestry programme helps create large employment for the rural poor, besides being a sustainable source of high-quality raw material for the business.
"Today, this programme has created a large green cover over 2,43,000 hectares, providing more than 101 million person-days of employment to farmers and poor tribal communities," the statement said.