Delhi's Forest dept halts construction over illegal tree felling at 220-acre park

A senior forest official said prima facie, it appears that trees were allegedly felled in a part of the Bharat Vandana Park project site, without any prior permission

The forest department has ordered a halt to the ongoing construction work at the Delhi Development Authority (DDA)’s Bharat Vandana Park, which is being redeveloped by NBCC India, over allegations that several trees were felled there without prior permission, forest officials said. However, a day later, work was allowed to be restarted, leaving aside a section of the park where the trees were allegedly felled.

Image for representation only.

In a work restrainment order issued on June 9, 2022, the forest department said “it has been reported that illegal cutting of many numbers of trees at Bharat Vandana Park has been found”. The inspection was carried out following a complaint by Dwarka residents.

“You are directed to cease all excavation and construction work at the said land, so that no further damage to the trees shall be done. No construction activities should be done on the said land without the permission under relevant law,” the order by deputy forest conservator, west forest division, said.

Two days after the stop-work orders were issued, lieutenant-governor Vinai Kumar Saxena visited the park on June 11 and directed officials to complete the work before the deadline of August 2023. He also asked officials to maintain “highest standards” of construction.

A senior forest official said prima facie, it appears that trees were allegedly felled in a part of the Bharat Vandana Park project site, without any prior permission; however, a site inspection scheduled in the coming days will determine the exact damage.

“We issued a notice to the agencies involved in the project on June 9 to stop all work. However, we were requested to allow work to continue in a part of the site where trees are not likely to have been impacted and to cordon off only the area where trees were allegedly felled. Subsequently, on June 10, we cordoned off around 15% or around 30 acres of the 200-acre project site, with work currently allowed to resume in the remaining 170 acres,” the official said, asking not to be named.

The forest department said action was taken based on a complaint filed by locals from Dwarka who said the affected area was found to be completely barren.

“A second inspection will ascertain the exact damage and then a hearing will be held to allow all parties to present their case,” the official said.

When contacted, DDA spokesperson said, “The work has resumed leaving only a certain waterbody area, about 5% of total area, as stated in the revised order of forest department GNCTD issued on June 10.”

The land-owning agency is redeveloping the Bharat Vandana Park, spread over 200 acres, as a tourist hub that will showcase ‘Mini India’. The ₹520-crore project involves the development of 10 zones: congregational zone, cultural zone, pushpa kriti sarovar zone, eco-sensitive zone, meditation garden zone, fun park zone, adventure park zone, lake view restaurant zone, mini India zone and the vandana sarovar zone. Each zone will be spread in 10-12 acres. The project, which started in April 2019, was to be completed by March 2022. But the deadline was recently extended to August 2023.

Robin Sharma, president of Dwarka traders’ association, who filed a complaint alleging violations under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, said the residents of Dwarka want the government agencies to protect the natural habitat. “We are not against development, but it can’t be at the cost of destroying the biodiversity of the area. The waterbodies and trees in the park have been destroyed due to which the animals are suffering. The manner in which this project is being executed should be looked into.”