Under the new rules, plantation must cover at least 80 per cent of the available right of way (RoW) earmarked for growing plants before PCC or PCOD can be issued. In addition, the saplings planted must show a minimum 90 per cent survival rate at the time of inspection. Any casualties among planted saplings are to be replaced with plants of commensurate age and growth to maintain uniformity.
The guidelines further link plantation maintenance to release of operation and maintenance (O&M) or annuity payments, making payments contingent on maintaining a minimum 90 per cent survival rate throughout the O&M period. Regional officers will be required to ensure that plantation work has been executed in accordance with contractual provisions, standards prescribed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) or NHAI and the Green Highways Policy 2015. Independent engineers or authority engineers must certify compliance with the plantation thresholds when recommending issuance of PCC or PCOD, and appropriate financial withholdings may continue until targets are achieved.
Officials indicated that the move is intended to make highway concessionaires and contractors more accountable for maintaining greenery along the available RoW and for ensuring that planted saplings survive before completion certification is granted. The guidelines stress that plantation and landscaping are critical components of environmental sustainability, aesthetics and overall project completion and therefore must be accorded due importance. The measures are designed to enforce contractual mandates and to incorporate plantation performance into final completion assessments.