Green Highways Excellence Awards 2026 Announced

Green Highways Excellence Awards 2026

Overview:

• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched the 'Green Highways Excellence Awards 2026' to promote excellence in adopting sustainable green practices in national highway projects.

Purpose:

• The awards aim to recognize best practices in green and plantation management along national highways, enhancing healthy plantation practices.

Categories of Awards:

1. Roadside Plantation

   • 1st Prize: Expansion of Chilakaluripet Bypass on NH 16, Andhra Pradesh.
   • 2nd Prize: Vadodara-Kim Expressway section, Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway, Gujarat.
   • 3rd Prize: Gagariya-Bakhasar and Satta-Gandhav sections of NH-925, Rajasthan.
   • Consolation Prize: Annual maintenance of NH-210 and NH-336 sections, including incident management.

2. Median Plantation

   • 1st Prize: Expansion of NH 163, Hyderabad-Yadgiri section.
   • 2nd Prize: Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway, Sanpa to Padra section, Gujarat.
   • 3rd Prize: Varanasi Ring Road, Package-I, NH-31, Uttar Pradesh.

3. Plot Plantation

   • 1st Prize: Jamtha Clover Leaf on NH-44, Nagpur.
   • 2nd Prize: Monetization of publically funded operational national highway projects under tolling.
   • 3rd Prize: Miyawaki plantation at the Lucknow-Ayodhya Road and Lucknow Outer Ring Road junction, Uttar Pradesh.

Participation and Evaluation:

• NHAI received 86 nominations from various stakeholders including regional offices, concessionaires, contractors, governmental agencies, NGOs, and private agencies involved in plantation projects.
• Categories received nominations as follows: 27 for roadside, 36 for median, and 23 for plot plantations.
• Each nomination included presentations with geo-tagged photos, drone videos, site-specific plantation plans, and survival rate data of plants.
• After initial screening, 15 nominations were shortlisted for final evaluation, focusing on survival rates of plantations, site-specific plans, timing of works, and quality of planting materials.

Judging Criteria:

• Evaluation was based on a comprehensive framework emphasizing:
  • Survival rates of gardens.
  • Specific plantation work plans.
  • Quality of planting materials.
  • Implementation adherence to approved designs.
  • Diversity and suitability of species used.
• Special emphasis was placed on the potential for replication across the national highway network, sustainability, and effectiveness.

Policy Context:

• The establishment of the 'Green Highways Excellence Awards' aligns with the Green Highways Policy, 2015, reinforcing NHAI's commitment to environmental sustainability alongside national highway development.

Significance:

• These awards strengthen NHAI's dedication to sustainable practices in infrastructure development, contributing to both environmental preservation and national highway enhancement.