The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has initiated a project to plant around 22,500 coconut palm saplings along the East Coast Road from Mamallapuram to Mugaiyur as part of the first phase of the road-widening project. The total stretch of this phase is 31 kilometers. Additionally, the contractor responsible for widening the road will be planting 22,500 saplings out of a total of 40,000 saplings to be planted in this package.
The decision to plant coconut palm saplings is due to their suitability for the coastal landscape and better chances of survival. The saplings, approximately three feet tall, are planted in three rows.
The outermost row will consist of coconut palm trees, while the row adjacent to the road will have native varieties like neem and punga. So far, 600 saplings have been planted, and the remaining work is ongoing.