The widened Kancheepuram-Arakkonam-Tiruttani Road (SH 58) will get additional green cover as the State Highways Department, which maintains the stretch, has started to plant saplings along the route.
Saplings of vaagai, vembu, mantharai, punnai, kalyana murungai, and arasa maram were among those that will be planted. Plant species like guava, rosewood, izhupai, neem, tamarind, rain tree, pipal, jamun, mango, and gooseberry will also be used on the 41-km-wide stretch.
Along with K. Lakshmi Nathan, Divisional Engineer (DE), the Chief Engineer of the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor Project, M.K. Selvam planted saplings as part of the drive.
Most of the saplings are planted around five feet away from the carriageway to allow adequate space for their growth and to prevent motorists, especially two-wheelers, from hitting them. “Depending on the availability of native tree species, saplings are being planted. A small nursery is being maintained to source fresh saplings for the purpose,” K. Mukundan, Assistant Divisional Engineer (ADE), State Highways (Arakkonam division), told The Hindu.
More than 1,200 trees, mainly tamarind and neem, were chopped down on the route for the widening work over the past few years. A total of 10,220 saplings will replace the chopped trees. In terms of the workforce, women who enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme were roped in for the drive. Separate teams were formed by the State Highways Department for monitoring.
Each sapling will be planted 5-6 m apart to ensure that the roots will not be affected. Dried saplings will be replaced with new ones from the nursery. Volunteers will water the plants twice a week for a period of one year. Tree guards have been provided to shield the saplings and will be removed after two years. The saplings will be maintained by the private contractor until they grow to a height of five feet before they are handed over to the State Highways for regular maintenance.
The Kancheepuram-Arakkonam-Tiruttani Road is part of the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industries Corridor project under the East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) that aims to connect key coastal cities like Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, and Kanyakumarai by the Union government.
Funded under the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the stretch has been widened to a distance of 41.77 km between Kancheepuram and Tirutani at a cost of ₹359.06 crore since mid-2021. The existing lane was converted into a 10-metre-wide two-lane stretch with storm water drains, a footpath, 18 small bridges, and 124 culverts.
