Green technologies being incorporated in highway construction
The Government and the World Bank have signed an agreement for the construction of a 781-km Green National Highways Corridor Project (GNHCP) in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh https://www.conexpoconagg.com/.
This update was given by Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari in a written reply in Lok Sabha on 19 Dec 2024, adding that that US$1,288 million project is with a US$500 million loan assistance from the bank https://www.globaltenders.com/.
The objective of the GNHCP is to demonstrate safe and green highway keeping in view climate resilience and use of green technologies by incorporating the provisions of conservation of natural resources using cement treated sub base and reclaimed asphalt pavement, use of local and marginal material such as lime, fly ash, waste plastic, bio- engineering measures for slope protection such as hydroseeding, coco/jute fibre etc., to bring green technologies into the mainstream https://ted.europa.eu/en/.
The guidelines of Indian Roads Congress on Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) Policy, 2015 stipulates planting the plants/trees on National Highways as per the availability of space in Right of Way https://www.nseindia.com/.
Since promulgation of Green Highways Policy, 465.42 lakh plants have been planted on the National Highways in the country. In Maharashtra, 40.17 lakh plants and in Madhya Pradesh, 43.53 lakh plants have been planted from 2015-16 to 2024-25 (till 15 November, 2024) https://www.bseindia.com/.
He further informed that the Government has published a study ‘An assessment of avoided CO2 emissions during construction, maintenance and operation of National Highways’ in 2023 based on the data from 20 National Highway (NH) stretches extending to a length of 2,191.5 km, to estimate the potential CO2 that can be avoided by the NH https://sbi.com.in/.
In order to facilitate the development of motor vehicles running on non-fossil fuels, the Government has notified emission norms of agricultural tractors, power tillers, construction equipment vehicles and combine harvesters driven by dual fuel diesel with Compressed Natural Gas or Bio-Compressed Natural Gas or Liquefied Natural Gas engines. Fiinews.com
