'Maharashtra Govt To Plant Indigenous Trees Along All Highways And Roads,' Says PWD Minister Shivrendra Sinhraje Bhosale

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has adopted a policy to plant indigenous trees along all national highways, state highways, major road projects, and rural roads across the state. Public Works Minister Shivrendra Sinhraje Bhosale announced in the Legislative Council that all concerned departments will be instructed again to ensure strict implementation of this policy.

Minister Bhosale emphasized that it is not only important to plant trees, but also to ensure their survival. For this purpose, a dedicated system will be established to conduct regular inspections of the trees’ condition.

He was responding to a calling attention motion raised by MLC Amol Mitkari regarding roadside tree planting and the loss of trees during road construction. Members Shrikant Bharatiya, Pravin Darekar, Uma Khapre, Satej Patil, and Sadabhau Khot also participated in the discussion.

Highlighting the government's commitment to greenery, Bhosale stated that current rules require ten trees to be planted for every tree cut during road projects. These conditions are included in project tenders.

Earlier, funds for tree plantation were given to contractors via the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) model. Now, the system has been revised into five stages of plantation, with funds released only after each stage is completed.

The government is also in favor of replanting uprooted trees, and many trees have already been replanted successfully. Bhosale further announced that government rest houses will be beautified with indigenous ornamental plants.

To monitor tree survival, geo-tagging is being used, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) will help track data on planted trees. Contractors who fail to plant trees as per the norms are being penalized, and going forward, they will also be held responsible for the survival of the trees.