In a bid to promote environmental sustainability alongside infrastructure development, a large-scale tree plantation drive was conducted on Saturday at Katha Toll Plaza in Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh, along the Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor.
The initiative is part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ campaign and aims to plant approximately 40,000 trees along the corridor. V Umashankar, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, inaugurated the drive by planting the first sapling.
Senior officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), including Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav, Member (Administration) Vishal Chauhan, Member (Technical) Alok Deepankar, Delhi Regional Officer Mohammad Safi, Uttarakhand Regional Officer Vishal Gupta, and Project Director (PIU Baghpat) Narendra Singh also participated in the drive.
The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from the local administration and school children. Among those present were Baghpat District Magistrate Asmita Lal, Superintendent of Police Suraj Kumar Rai, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Avinash Tripathi, and other district officials. Students from various schools joined in to plant saplings, spreading the message of environmental stewardship.
The Delhi–Dehradun Corridor is poised to significantly improve connectivity between the national capital and Uttarakhand. According to an official statement, planting trees along the corridor is expected to yield multiple ecological benefits, including better air quality, reduced soil erosion, and increased biodiversity.
“This dual focus on both environmental sustainability and infrastructure development will position the Delhi–Dehradun Corridor as a pioneering example of green infrastructure, establishing a new benchmark for green development across the country,” the statement said.
Officials also shared that NHAI has already planted over 5.12 lakh trees along National Highways nationwide as part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ initiative. The long-term vision is to saturate plantations along highways by engaging multiple stakeholders in building a green and sustainable transport network.