NHAI to issue green bonds worth Rs 1k crore

NEW DELHI: In a first for the road sector, NHAI on Thursday said it will issue Rs 1,000 crore green bonds in second week of Dec to raise funds to implement environment-friendly steps on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (DME) project.

“This fund will be used for activities such as expenditure on avenue plantation, median plantation, construction of animal underpasses, natural stormwater drainage, streetlight on renewable energy (solar), waste recycling and reuse, and rainwater harvesting,” a spokesperson said.

“The green bonds will help encourage investment in ecofriendly projects, and will facilitate long-term cost savings by reducing energy consumption and lowering impact of vehicular emission on the environment,” NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav said.