NHAI workshop on eco friendly measures for holistic National Highway Development
Various stakeholders and experts deliberate on different aspects related to
forest and environment clearances including eco-friendly mitigation measures.
Keeping its
focus on building a robust and sustainable National Highway network, NHAI
organized a day long national workshop in New Delhi to discuss different
aspects of environmental impact assessment, planning and mitigation for
holistic National Highway development. Chief Guest for the event was Anurag
Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Santosh Kumar Yadav,
Chairman NHAI along with Guest of Honour Jitendra Kumar, IFS, DGF&SS,
MoEF&CC were also present on the occasion. The event saw participation from
senior officials of MoRTH, NHAI, NHIDCL, MoEF&CC, QQI-NABET, DPR
Consultants, Concessionaires, Authority Engineers, and Independent Engineers.
Various panel discussions with senior officials and
industry experts were held during the workshop which provided key insights into
different aspects of development of environmentally sustainable road
infrastructure. The sessions included discussion on issues related to Wildlife
Clearances; Insights on 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear
Infrastructure on Wildlife'; Issues related to Forest & Environment
Clearances; Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Management
Plan (EMP); Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Clearances, Regulations and its
applicability to Road Infrastructure Projects.
In his inaugural address, Chief Guest Anurag Jain,
Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that “I am pleased that
we have gathered here to deliberate various possibilities and address
challenges to pave way for greener and sustainable National Highway
development. I am sure after these knowledge sessions, we will have deeper
understanding of the forest and environment clearances & systems. It is
also important for different departments to have a collaborative approach using
PM Gati Shakti framework to efficiently develop sustainable National Highway
infrastructure across the country.
Addressing the audience at the national conference, the
Guest of Honour Jitendra Kumar, DGF&SS, MoEF&CC said, “We have to take
steps towards expediting planning and proposal process by improving
inter-departmental collaboration and building a concrete roadmap for inclusion
of sustainable practices in the development of infrastructure projects.”
In his keynote address, Santosh Kumar Yadav, Chairman,
NHAI said “We are committed to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly
National Highway network. Today, there is a greater need to collaborate
and include sustainable practices from the conceptualization of the project at
the DPR stage. Participation from various stakeholders in this workshop, will
enrich the quality of discussion and define the way forward towards a greener
and more sustainable National Highway infrastructure development.”
Sharing his observations in the concluding session, Vishal
Chauhan, Member (Administration), NHAI thanked all the panelists for their
active participation. He also emphasized that ensuring environment
sustainability is a collective responsibility of all the stakeholders and
forward-looking discussions in today’s workshop has helped to push forward the
agenda of environment sustainably.
With a strong focus on environment sustainability,
promoting economic growth, and expanding the National Highway network, NHAI is
paving way for a greener, more resilient, and inclusive future. The national
workshop strengthened this vison by providing key insights and identifying
areas for holistic development. The deliberations held at the day long workshop
will go a long way in adopting various sustainable practices for the
construction of National Highways and drive inclusive growth by enhancing the ecological
footprint across the country.