The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has tightened plantation and landscaping requirements for national highway projects, linking compliance with provisional completion certification and O&M payments.

Under the revised guidelines, plantation must cover at least 80 per cent of the available right of way earmarked for plantation before a Provisional Certificate of Completion (PCC) or Provisional Commercial Operation Date (PCOD) can be issued. The planted saplings must also record a minimum 90 per cent survival rate at the time of inspection.

Any shortfall below the prescribed plantation coverage will have to be identified along with a timeline for completion. Financial withholdings provided for under the relevant contract or concession agreement will apply until the required plantation is completed.

The 90 per cent survival requirement will continue through the operations and maintenance period. O&M and annuity payments for EPC, Hybrid Annuity Model and BOT-Annuity projects, as well as maintenance compliance for BOT-Toll projects, will be linked to meeting the survival threshold.

NHAI will also require timely replacement of dead plants and may seek verification from environmental and plantation experts before processing payments.