The Maharashtra government has decided to transfer the responsibility for the greening project along the Samruddhi Mahamarg to the forest department. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and the social forestry department to formalize the handover.
Green Belt Coverage
The green belt along the 701-kilometer Nagpur-Thane expressway is spread across 4,500 hectares and includes over 30 lakh plants: 11.32 lakh trees, 12.54 lakh shrubs, 3.80 lakh climbers, approximately three lakh bamboo plants, and 2.96 lakh agave plants.
Irrigation Infrastructure
An extensive irrigation network supports the plantation, comprising 70 wells, 12 water sources, nine reservoirs, 81 pump houses, 2,287 kilometers of pipelines, and 10,256 kilometers of drip irrigation lines.
New Responsibilities
Following the transfer, the forest department will handle plantation, maintenance, conservation, and irrigation management. The funds required for these activities will continue to be provided by MSRDC.
Future Cooperation
The MoU outlines cooperation in conservation of the green cover, maintenance of irrigation infrastructure, and future greening initiatives along the expressway.
