NHAI steps back on road project as locals, activists cry ‘green murder’

HYDERABAD: The tendering process for work on the Hyderabad-Chevella-Bijapur national highway has been stalled, sources in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said on Monday. The development follows protests by residents and activists who opposed the axing and translocation of over 9,000 trees on the stretch.
“There is huge volume of traffic on this road and converting the NH163 into a four-lane highway is a necessity. However, the tendering process has been stalled in the light of environmental concerns,” said a source from the NHAI. Any road with 10,000 passenger car unit (PCU) per day is considered for four-laning.
The source said saving the trees at the same place is impossible keeping safety in mind. “Even if we were to try and make one side of the trees as a median, the roots would permeate and damage the road. The roots also trap water which erodes the bitumen causing potholes in the long run. This is a safety concern along with the issue of tree branches growing and blocking visibility,” he said. Rules provide for only shrubs to be planted in medians.
About 154 hectares were to be acquired for the project, out of which 80% had been declared. The disbursement of the amount did not begin.
The NHAI has been facing hurdles both over land acquisition as well as environmental concerns throughout the country, with the NH163 being an example both concerns. This has made the authority focus more on greenfield projects rather than take up work on new ones, said the source.
The NHAI source said that there are no specifications regarding methodology to transplant trees. “A competent authority must frame defined guidelines regarding translocation, along with the approximate cost and time taken for such a process. Only once these details are fleshed out, can translocation be done on a large-scale for such infrastructure projects,” he said.