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 Shri
Anurag Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Shri Santosh
Kumar Yadav, Chairman NHAI along with Guest of Honour Shri 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 Shri 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 Shri 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, Shri 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, Shri 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.