When the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) planned to reduce the travel time between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram from 15 hours to just seven, the environmental cost was significant. A total of 74,921 trees were cut down for the highway development across Kerala. Although authorities promised replantation, progress has been very slow.
The original plan aimed to plant ten times the number of trees felled. However, to date, only 55,540 saplings have been planted, leaving 693,670 yet to be planted. Currently, replantation activities are limited to two locations: Kadampattukonam-Kazhakoottam in Thiruvananthapuram and Thalappady-Kalikkadavu in Kasaragod.
Officials from the Social Forestry Department explained that the goal is to complete replantation alongside the highway project, but delays have largely been caused by difficulties in finding suitable land. Ajay Ghosh, an official from the department, stated that due to these challenges, alternative approaches such as block planting, urban forests (‘Nagaravanam’), and school forests (‘Vidyavanam’) are being considered. He added that proposals for compensatory afforestation across 23 stretches in nine districts are being prepared and would be submitted to the NHAI to release funds.
Out of the 55,540 saplings planted so far, 23,540 are in Kozhikode, 24,000 at the Sainik School in Thiruvananthapuram, and 8,000 at the Greenfield Stadium in the same district.
The NHAI, constrained by limited land availability, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Social Forestry Department to identify planting sites and submit cost estimates.
An NHAI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, clarified that there has been no delay from their side in releasing funds. The official mentioned that funds had already been allocated for Kasaragod, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram stretches, but for other areas, the release is pending receipt of estimates from the Social Forestry Department.
With the Social Forestry Department proposing a shift from the original 1:10 planting ratio to the Nagaravanam and Vidyavanam models, the NHAI confirmed that the revised plan had been approved.
Additionally, the Social Forestry Department transitioned from maintaining district-wise bank accounts to a single statewide account for fund transfers. The NHAI is currently awaiting the details of this new account. The anonymous NHAI official further explained that although funds for Malappuram are ready, the transfer has not been made yet as the new account has not been finalized.
In Alappuzha and Kollam, the NHAI is processing approval for the new afforestation scheme, while in Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kannur, estimates from district forest officers are still awaited.
For Kozhikode, Rs 9 million has already been disbursed, resulting in the plantation of 23,540 saplings, but further estimates have yet to be submitted. Thiruvananthapuram also needs to provide new estimates for additional areas beyond those already planted. In Kasaragod, Rs 20.21 million has been released, and the afforestation work is ongoing.
As afforestation efforts remain caught up in bureaucratic delays, questions are increasingly being raised about the true cost of achieving a sustainable future.
