To promote environment sustainability and commemorate ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ campaign, NHAI organised a drive to plant around 17,000 trees along the Faridabad-Noida International Airport Corridor. Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport and Highways along with Shri Ajay Tamta, Hon’ble Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways; Shri Harsh Malhotra, Hon’ble Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Corporate Affairs; Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Member of Parliament – Gautam Buddha Nagar; Shri Dhirendra Singh, MLA – Jewar; NHAI Chairman Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav along with senior officials from MoRTH, NHAI, local administration planted trees at the Yamuna Expressway Interchange on Faridabad – Noida International Airport Road in Gautam Budh Nagar District, Uttar Pradesh. School students also planted trees on the occasion to spread the message of environment sustainability.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport and Highways said “A significant portion of pollution stems from fossil fuels consumed by vehicles on the roads and National Highways. It is our foremost responsibility to reduce this. Promoting the use of alternative fuels like ethanol and undertaking large-scale plantation drives, are the most effective solutions, and we are actively pursuing both. For environment sustainability, we are also effectively utilising waste in road construction and have used around 80 lakh ton of waste in road construction. We are also prioritising water conservation by adopting measures like rainwater harvesting on our highways. ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ is a very noble initiative for environment sustainability, and I congratulate NHAI for planting around 5 crore trees along the National Highways.”  

The Faridabad-Noida International Airport Corridor will enhance connectivity between Delhi-NCR and Noida International Airport at Jewar. Plantation of around 17,000 trees along the corridor will provide many ecological benefits to the region like improved air quality, reduced soil erosion, and enhanced biodiversity. This dual focus on both environment sustainability and infrastructure development will position Faridabad-Noida International Airport Corridor as a pioneering example of green infrastructure, establishing a new benchmark for green development across the country.

NHAI has been focusing on creating Green Corridors by undertaking bamboo plantation, dense plantation and vertical landscaping. The vision is to saturate plantations along the National Highways collectively by involving various stakeholders to create a green and sustainable National Highway network. NHAI planted around 67 lakh trees as against the target of 60 lakh plantations during 2024-25. Under the ‘Ek ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ initiative, NHAI has planted over 12 Lakh trees during the current year along the National Highways across the country. 

Keeping its commitment to create a sustainable National Highway network. Since implementation of the Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance), Policy 2015 NHAI has planted around 4.78 crore trees and transplanted around 70,000 trees along the National Highways.

 

 

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SR/GDH/SJ

(Release ID: 2143123)