State Highway stretches in central region set to be transformed under Green Tamil Nadu Mission

Select state highway stretches passing through the Tiruchi Forest Circle’s jurisdiction are poised to go green as avenue plantations of native tree seedlings are to be taken up under this project involving the State Highways and the Forest department. 

The Highways Department is funding the project which would be executed through the Green Tamil Nadu Mission with objectives of enhancing green cover and reducing the impact of air pollution along highway stretches.

The Forest Department has been entrusted with the task of raising and planting taller seedlings of native trees along the identified road stretches. A joint inspection of field-level officials of the two departments would be carried out after getting a list of identified stretches from the Highways department.

The green project is to be implemented in 2026-27 in Pudukottai, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Tiruchi, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Thanjavur Forest Divisions falling under the jurisdiction of the Tiruchi Forest Circle. The target for raising tree seedlings has been specified for each Forest Division by the authorities of the Green Tamil Nadu Mission.

Specific targets fixed

The plan is to raise 1,10,000 seedlings by various Forest Divisions in Tiruchi Forest Circle. Seedlings to be raised in Pudukottai and Thanjavur are 22,000 each while it is 11,000 seedlings each in respect of the other divisions. The task of raising the native seedlings is to commence soon while the actual planting would be done in the 2026-27 financial year, said Forest Department officials. 

In Perambalur district, the seedlings would be raised in the high-tech nursery established under the Green Tamil Nadu Mission. In Pudukottai district, the seedlings are to be raised in the Forest Department nurseries in Pudukottai, Tirumayam, Keeranur, and Aranthangi. 

Seedlings of native species such as ‘naaval’, ‘pungan’, ‘vembu’, tamarind, and ‘neermarudhu’ are to be raised in the nurseries.  After carrying out planting work, the seedlings would be maintained for three years by the Forest Department to ensure their survival along road sides. The main objective behind this project is to substantially reduce impact of pollution caused by automobile fumes and improve the air quality, the officials said.

A separate project of planting seedlings of native tree species has been implemented along identified national highway stretches passing through Tiruchi Forest Circle’s limit with the project funded by the National Highways Authority of India.