Nearly two years after the work began, the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) ambitious Oxygen Park-2 project at the cloverleaf intersection of the Outer Ring Road and Bhandara Road near Kapsi continues to move at a snail’s pace. It raises questions over the pace of development of a project conceived to create a green lung along the city’s highway network. The contrast with the city’s first Oxygen Park near Jamtha on Wardha Road is striking. Developed under the same concept and handed over to NHAI after successful completion, Jamtha Park has flourished with Miyawaki plantation making it a grand success with dense vegetation apparent at the site. In comparison, Kapsi site remains largely underdeveloped despite work having commenced almost two years ago.

 

The proposed site is filled with weeds and grass hampering development of Miyawaki forest, as intended under the proposed park. The Oxygen Park initiative was launched by NHAI to utilise vacant land along highways for large-scale plantation, biodiversity conservation and environmental improvement. Sources in the Social Forestry Department, which is executing the Kapsi project, acknowledge that progress has been slower than anticipated. However, they attribute the delay to challenging site conditions rather than administrative shortcomings. According to sources, the soil conditions at the Kapsi site are vastly different from those at Jamtha. While the Wardha Road project benefited from comparatively stable black cotton soil, the land at Kapsi is marshy in several stretches, making plantation and landscaping work considerably more difficult.

 

The location has also been affected by continuous infrastructure activity in the surrounding area. Heavy traffic movement on Bhandara Road and the Outer Ring Road generates dust, while ongoing construction work nearby creates disturbance for plantation activities. Sources further revealed that a fire allegedly caused by miscreants during the previous summer damaged a portion of the developing green cover, resulting in additional setbacks and replantation efforts. Despite the slow progress, officials maintain that the project remains on track for completion within its stipulated timeline. They said plantation activities are continuing and assured that the Oxygen Park would eventually be developed as envisaged before being formally handed over to NHAI.