Bee corridors, medicinal groves to enrich Odisha's highway landscape

Bhubaneswar, Oct 12 (UNI) The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Regional Office Odisha, is integrating biodiversity conservation with highway development through bee corridors, medicinal groves and roadside plantations, having planted 5.20 lakh saplings across the State in just four months. The plantation drive aims to expand green cover, support pollinators and conserve indigenous plant species through initiatives such as the Arogya Van programme, highway median greening, bamboo plantations and community-based greening. Under the Arogya Van programme, 2,500 medicinal plants, including Bahada, Neem, Harida and Amla, have been planted at Kunduli in Koraput district along the Raipur-Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor (NH-130CD).…