PLAN THE ROAD(s) WITH EXISTING TREES

A good example is Dewas- Bhopal Road. I do not know whether it is intentional OR the project had no alternative.

Years back, then Government has planted trees along the State and National Highways with declared green belt on both sides of the road. Due to increasing demand of widening the roads and re-plan the road network, almost all states Government never values the existing trees and simply chop them (At times a parallel project is implemented to spend additional money to uproot the trees and replant them at alternate places, that never works and contractors/ concerned people are benefited).

The best way I can suggest is that when the project is planned the existing trees should be bought in to middle of the road. Otherwise also the landowners are paid for acquired land for road development. As the old roads are also very much planned (except few places), hence this can materialise. I general project survey, planning, earth work takes 3-4 years. In the survey/ plan the center line / dividers are earmarked. With the commencement of the project/ earthwork, there should be provision for planting the trees and the should be mentioned in the work contract. In this case by the time road is commissioned for operation the trees would be strong enough to withhold at there own. Till that time watering and other maintenance could be handled by the contractor. This way we can have more trees grown without barren look on the newly developed roads. More over, due to deep digging etc. animals will not damage the plantation.

I'll narrate a silly example of Indore-Dewas road. Almost, 15 years have past, there was provision for tree plantation along the roads with tree guards. The contractor just before the commissioning of the road has erected tree guards with some jungle plants to show that he has adhered to the contract terms. Within next 2-3 years all tree guards were picked up by kabadis and the plantation was never cared regardless of the jungle plants planted in them.

Such mentality of our authority is also one of the reason that we can not have projects for tree plantation. In Indore, I' ve seen on M.G. Road divider the floral plants have been changed 4-5 times with last 65 years and still the IMC is experimenting for the right plant could be grown at the place. Almost all dividers earmarked for plantation are barren with polythene flying all around. Yes, the authority have tendered the dividers very much in time for advertising because they could mint through those tenders. 

Here, it is clear that we should generate mentality of planting the trees, then only we will be in a position to keep our neighborhood, mohalla, ward, city and country GREEN.