Apart from the loss of green cover, the construction plan includes the demolition of 3,086 houses and buildings, 48 religious structures and 185 large warehouses.
According to NHAI’s response to a Right to Information (RTI) query, the project requires 2,242 hectares of land for a stretch of the highway that will pass through Maharashtra. This includes 304 hectares of forest land. Nearly 2,100 hectares have already been acquired. Despite assurances of compensatory afforestation, the proposed cutting of 39,132 trees, including those in forest areas, has raised alarms among environmental activists.
The permission to cut 13,763 trees in forest areas and 18,961 trees in non-forest areas has already been given.
Apart from the loss of green cover, the construction plan includes the demolition of 3,086 houses and buildings, 48 religious structures and 185 large warehouses, the paper reported.
26/03/2024