NHAI Drives Green Push with 5.20 Lakh Saplings in Odisha

13 Oct 2026, 09:20 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

Bhubaneswar: Schools, colleges, and local neighborhoods in Odisha are teaming up with highway authorities to plant trees along roads, as part of a four-month green campaign that has added 5.20 lakh saplings across the state.

To bring local people into conservation work, NHAI planted 7,097 saplings through its community plantation program, taking the drive into school and college campuses as well as public spaces. Alongside these community efforts, workers planted 6,000 bamboo saplings on open land to restore local green cover.

A major focus of the push is helping insects and wildlife. Through a special bee corridor project, the agency planted 39,337 saplings to feed and support pollinators while building up plant variety beside roads. These stretches feature trees like Neem, Arjun, Kadamba, Patoli, Radhachuda, Spathodea, and Tabebuia rosea.

The greening also targets traditional health plants under an initiative called “Arogya Van.” At Kunduli in Koraput district, along the Raipur-Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor, teams planted 2,500 medicinal saplings on vacant highway land. The site features native plants such as Amla, Bahada, Harida, and Neem to protect the area’s natural heritage and grow useful healing plants.

Drivers will also see the changes on the road itself. NHAI planted 87,338 flowering plants on highway dividers to make corridors look better and clean up the roadside environment. These medians now feature bright, colorful blooms such as Bougainvillea, Tecoma, Calliandra, and Caesalpinia.