India’s Journey Towards Sustainable Road Infrastructure

Why in News?

India’s National Highway network has expanded by nearly 61%, from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,572 km by March 2026. Along with expanding road connectivity, the focus is increasingly shifting towards developing highways that are environmentally sustainable, resilient and efficient. The government is promoting plantation, biodiversity conservation, remote-sensing-based monitoring, bio-based road materials and pollinator corridors as part of the broader greening of the National Highway network.

Green Highways Policy

The Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy, 2015 provides the framework for greening India’s National Highways. A Plantation Cell monitors implementation through regional offices of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and other agencies.

Plantation monitoring, which earlier relied mainly on field inspections, is increasingly being supplemented by drone and satellite-based monitoring. The National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI) 2025–26, prepared in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of ISRO, provides the first scientific and quantitative assessment of green cover within the Right of Way (RoW) along National Highways.

Miyawaki Plantation

The Miyawaki technique involves planting trees and shrubs closely together to create dense, forest-like ecosystems within a limited area. It is also known as the “pot plantation method” and is particularly useful for increasing green cover in space-constrained areas. Under suitable conditions, vegetation can grow significantly faster than in conventional plantations.

To promote better plantation practices, NHAI introduced the Green Highways Excellence Awards in 2025. The 2026 awards give particular importance to plantation survival, species diversity, use of native species, site-specific plantation plans and protection measures.

Bio-Bitumen and Sustainable Highways

India is also exploring bio-based alternatives to conventional road materials. In January 2026, technology for producing Bio-Bitumen through pyrolysis of agricultural residue was transferred. The process uses post-harvest rice straw to produce bio-oil, which is blended with conventional bitumen to make a bio-bitumen mixture.

Biomass pyrolysis can generate multiple value streams, including bio-binders for roads, gaseous fuel, bio-pesticide fractions and high-grade carbon. A 100-metre trial stretch using bio-bitumen has been successfully laid on the Jorabat–Shillong Expressway (NH-40) in Meghalaya.

Pollinator Corridors

Green corridors along highways can also support biodiversity and pollination services. Along identified stretches of the Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway, pollinator corridors are being developed under the “Trees for Bees” campaign. Such corridors can provide habitat and food resources for pollinators while contributing to the ecological management of highway landscapes.

Source: PIB

CLICK HERE: UPSC PRELIMS & MAINS CURRENT AFFAIRS BASED WEEKLY TEST (ENG & HINDI)

CLICK HERE FOR GS TIMES PRAHAR UPSC GS MAINS TEST SERIES 

CLICK HERE: DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ (FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS)