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A total of 17,600 saplings will be planted on the median of the Chennai Bypass from Irumbuliyur to Red Hills by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). This will work out to 666 plants per km. On Sunday, 100 plants were planted by students of Lalithambigai Medical College and SRM Eswari Engineering College and various officials.
Maduravoyal MLA K. Ganapathy, NHAI Regional Officer (Chennai) S.P. Somashekar and NHAI Project Director (Chennai) S. Janakumaran launched the drive under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav near the Vanagaram toll plaza. A cultural programme highlighting importance of tree plantation and road safety measures was held.
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Species including Plumeria alba (Perungali), Techoma stans (Yellow Trumpet Bush), Ixora coccinea (Vedchi), Bougainvillea spectabilis (Paper Flower), Caesalpinia pulcherrima (Peacock Flower) and Mimusops elengi (Magizham) would be planted at 10 metres interval on the median. The plants that were brought from Rajamahendravaram would be maintained for five years. The cost of the project is ₹1.39 crore.
On Sunday, 750 saplings of native and fruit bearing species like ficus, neem, pungam, badam and naaval were planted under the project implementation units of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Villupuram.
Saplings were planted at the truck lay bay in Padalam of Tambaram to Tindivanam Section of NH-45, at trumpet land parcel in Koothur of Tiruchi-Kallagam Section of NH-227 and at Melapalur Rest Area and Thathanur West Toll Plaza of Kallagam–Meensurutti Section of NH-227.
A total of 6,231 tree saplings are to be planted as part of the Mahotsav. At Koothur, Vaidhiyanathan, RDO, Lalgudi, and Varadharajan, Project Director, Viluppuram, participated.