National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced the winners of the Green Highways Excellence Awards 2026 to recognise and encourage sustainable plantation, landscaping and green-management practices along National Highway projects.
The awards are aimed at improving the quality and sustainability of plantation activities while identifying practices that can be replicated across the National Highway network.
Award Categories and Winners
The awards were presented in three categories:
| Category | First Prize Winner |
| Avenue Plantations | Six-Laning of Chilakaluripet Bypass on NH-16, Andhra Pradesh |
| Median Plantations | Four-Laning of Hyderabad–Yadgiri section of NH-163 |
| Plantation in Land Parcels | Jamtha Clover Leaf and Oxygen Bird Park on NH-44, under RO-Nagpur |
The Land Parcel Plantation category covers plantation areas such as clover leaves, interchanges, toll plazas and service areas.
Who Could Participate?
Entries were invited from organisations involved in plantation activities along National Highways, including:
- NHAI field offices
- Concessionaires
- Contractors
- Government agencies
- NGOs
- Private agencies
How Were the Projects Evaluated?
The assessment focused on both the quality of plantation and its long-term sustainability. Key parameters included:
- Plantation survival rate
- Site-specific plantation plans
- Appropriate timing of plantation
- Pit size
- Quality of planting material
- Protection measures
- Species diversity
- Use of native species
Apart from basic plantation performance, special importance was given to quality, sustainability, effectiveness and the possibility of replicating successful practices on other National Highway projects.
Technology-Based Monitoring
The award nominations were supported by technology-driven evidence such as:
- Geo-tagged photographs
- Drone videos
- Site-specific plantation plans
- Data on plantation survival rates
This helped provide evidence-based assessment of plantation work and its actual performance at project sites.
Institution of Awards
The Green Highways Excellence Awards were instituted by NHAI in 2025 in accordance with the Green Highways Policy, 2015.
The awards reinforce NHAI’s broader objective of combining environmental sustainability with the development of India’s National Highway network. They also encourage highway projects to treat plantation and landscaping as an integral part of infrastructure development rather than merely as an additional activity.