150 fewer trees to be cut as part of executive enclave project: Green panel

The site for the executive enclave, which will also house the new Prime Minister’s Office, has 807 trees, of which 320 will now be retained against the previous proposal of retaining just 154 trees.

Delhi’s state level environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA) has increased the number of trees that must be retained during the construction of the executive enclave in the revamped Central Vista, minutes of the body’s meeting have revealed.

New Delhi, Sept 06 (ANI): A combination of photos showing the previous and present look of Walkways along the canal, as the redevelopment work of Central Vista Avenue is completed and will soon be opened to the public, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo) (ANI)

As per the minutes of the August 31 SEIAA meet, the site for the executive enclave, which will also house the new Prime Minister’s Office, has 807 trees, of which 320 will now be retained against the previous proposal of retaining just 154 trees. The minutes of the meeting state that 487 trees will be removed/transplanted against the previous proposal of removing 630 trees.

A government official aware of the matter said that for the executive enclave project, originally only 300 trees were to be felled, but after the intervention of the SEIAA, that number has dropped to around 150 trees. “Similarly, the number of trees to be relocated/transplanted was reduced from around 630 to around 490. Several of these trees were planned to be removed for developing a surface parking which the committees did not find environmentally friendly. A total of around 300 trees were saved and forced to be retained on the site,” the official said.

According to the minutes of the meeting, in order to minimise the environmental impact, 90 of the 487 to be transplanted will be moved to plot number 30 (SPG facility) in the vicinity of the project site.

The authority has stated that trees on the site form an important part of the natural heritage of the city. “While the ground coverage on the site is reducing from existing 40% to 20% about 80% of existing trees are proposed to be removed which is an excessively high proportion. Attempt may be made to increase the trees to be retained,” the panel had stated in context of the old proposal moved by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) on January 31.

The CPWD later reduced the number of trees to be felled or transported and submitted a fresh proposal.

CPWD statement awaited

A government official said that each tree contributes immensely to the biodiversity of the area where it is located. “Similarly, for the AIIMS redevelopment project, the intervention by SEIAA ensured that the project proponent commits to preserving 1,064 trees at their current location itself while developing buildings around it. There are 5,575 trees present at the site of the AIIMS redevelopment project. While 2,934 trees will be retained, 1,910 will be transplanted and 731 will be felled. Additionally, it has been made mandatory to replant 26,410 trees in lieu of the transplantation of trees which were absolutely necessary for the project to go ahead,” the official explained.