Fri Jun 27 13:10:07 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**NGT Urged to Investigate Poor Tree Survival Rates in Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Projects**
**Coimbatore, June 27, 2025** – The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is being urged to form a monitoring committee to oversee the survival of saplings planted as compensation for trees felled during infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu. Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam coordinator V. Eswaran raised concerns over the alarming low survival rate of saplings planted by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) as part of the Coimbatore-Pollachi road project.
According to RTI information, the NHAI felled 2,239 trees for the project, requiring the planting of approximately 23,000 saplings. An investigation by Mr. Eswaran’s team revealed that only about 100 out of the 2,000 saplings planted in two surveyed panchayats have survived. He claims that money has been spent but no action has been taken to ensure the success of these trees.
The NHAI reportedly earned ₹ 33.21 lakh from the felled trees, which has raised suspicions about the motivation behind the lack of proper maintenance.
Mr. Eswaran also highlighted a similar situation with the Chengapalli-Walayar road project, where only 6,000 of the required 13,000 saplings were planted after the removal of 4,351 trees.
Mr. Eswaran has submitted a letter to Coimbatore District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar, demanding action against NHAI officials and the road contractor. He urges the district administration to ensure that adequate saplings are planted and maintained to compensate for the trees lost, aligning with Supreme Court and High Court directives.
The case highlights the importance of proper monitoring and accountability in environmental compensation efforts and raises questions about the effectiveness of current practices.
First Piper 