National Highways to be Converted into Green Corridors

The government is looking to create at least 1,000 contractors in order to convert India's 90,000Kms of national highways into green corridors.

By NDTV Auto Team

1 mins read

Published on July 6, 2015

Highlights

The government is looking to create at least 1,000 contractors in order to convert India's 90,000Kms of national highways into green corridors. Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, said, "We have taken a decision that one per cent of cost in construction is for tree plantation and other things. We are going to create 1,000 contractors in the country. They will have their own nurseries. They will plant new trees and create a green area on national highways." This policy will, in turn, lead to job creation and economic growth of the country. India's road network is the second largest in the world; the 33 lakh Kms of roads in India also includes 92,851Kms of national highways. Though the national highways make for only 1.7 per cent of the country's road network, they carry about 40 per cent of the total road traffic. Gadkari further explained, "Planting trees in any particular area will depend on the soil suitability, besides climate and success stories. Konkan in Maharashtra is famous for Alphanso, we can plant it there. In Chhattisgarh we can have tamarind. Somewhere in between the road lengths we can have flowers like roses." (With inputs from PTI)

Last Updated on July 6, 2015

# Nitin Gadkari # national highways in India # Ministry of Road Transport & Highways # Feature

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