NHAI disregards own policy, fells 8,000 trees on both sides of NH-161
At a time greens are striving to save trees by any means, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has felled over 8,000 trees to widen national highway 161 (NH-161) between Akola and Nanded from existing two-lane to four-lane.
Green activist Jaydeep Das, who received information under the RTI Act, alleged NHAI did not follow the ministry of road transport & highways (MoRTH) policy decision on acquiring land only on one side, to save trees on the other.
“Had this policy been followed then at least 50% of the trees could have been saved. The authority has felled over 8,000 trees on NH-161 in three sections between Akola-Medshi (48km), Medshi-Washim (45km) and Washim-Pangare (42km),” said Das.
He adds, this 175km highway is being developed in four stretches at a cost of Rs4,000 crore. While trees remain to be felled in the last section between Pangare-Warangal Fata as DPR is being prepared, over 8,000 trees have been felled till now of the total 15,000 trees, whose environmental value would be 7,500 crores as per the apex court orders.
“This value can be arrived at according to the oxygen one tree gives during its lifetime, and its value after it is chopped,” says Das.
