The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun developing a green belt near the Singhani bypass overbridge on NH-33 in Hazaribag, after clearing encroachments and unauthorised activities from a vacant stretch beside the Ranchi-Patna highway.
NHAI officials said the first phase of the work involves clearing the plot, preparing the land for plantation and marking areas for orderly use. The roadside space had attracted repeated complaints over encroachments and other activities close to the carriageway.
According to the authority, the use of vacant land near the overbridge was affecting traffic movement and increasing the risk of accidents. The stretch has now been cleared, with the site being developed in a planned manner to create a greener and more organised roadside environment.
The proposed green belt will be developed between the highway and adjoining land through plantation and improvements to the roadside area. NHAI said the work is also intended to make the land easier to maintain and make the improvement clearly visible to commuters travelling along the bypass.
NHAI project director Ashutosh Kumar said the authority was working to provide travellers with a cleaner and better roadside environment. He also said a facility where commuters could stop briefly and take a break may be developed at the site in the future.
The project addresses a recurring highway-management problem: vacant land along busy roads can become vulnerable to encroachment, informal storage and activities that interfere with traffic operations. In this case, NHAI has linked the site’s redevelopment to both roadside appearance and safety near a major overbridge.
The authority has appealed to residents not to tether cattle, occupy vacant highway land or store goods along the roadside. Officials said these activities could create safety hazards and disrupt traffic. A local resident said the stretch, which had become associated with encroachments and misuse, could eventually develop into a clean and organised roadside corridor for travellers and nearby residents.
NHAI’s immediate next steps are plantation preparation and the planned development of the cleared plot. The authority has not specified a completion date for the green belt or confirmed whether the proposed commuter rest facility will be taken up.
