Expert panel to assess request to cut more trees for 7 govt colonies in Delhi

HT had reported exclusively on June 17, 2018 that more than 16,000 trees were to be cut in seven areas in the city.

A six-member expert committee has been formed to decide whether the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) should be allowed to cut an additional over 8,000 trees for building the seven General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) colonies, according to documents seen by HT.

The expert committee will now carry out a site visit and ascertain whether additional trees need to be felled or not. (HTPhoto)

The panel was constituted by Delhi’s State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC), after an environmental activist complained to the two bodieslast month alleging that NBCC is looking to fell additional trees in violation of a 2018 Delhi high court order.

HT had reported exclusively on June 17, 2018 that more than 16,000 trees were to be cut in seven areas, including Sarojini Nagar, Nauroji Nagar and Netaji Nagar, as part of the GPRA redevelopment colonies project. After both the Delhi high court and the National Green Tribunal NGT) stayed the felling of trees, the figure was later revised to 6,997 by the NBCC, which was then approved by the high court.

In February this year, NBCC had approached the Supreme Court to fell an additional 8,000 trees for executing the project, saying that thousands of plants around the area have now grown into full trees. The top court disposed of the matter in March, and told NBCC to approach the tree officers under the forest department for permission.

According to the minutes of a meeting held on May 11, a copy of which HT has seen, the SEIAA and SEAC said that it received a complaint by environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari in March, objecting to NBCC’s plea in the SC. Based on the complaint, the two bodies decided to form an expert committee to look into the matter.

According to Kandhari, the construction body has already felled 6,997 trees specified in the high court order. So, according to its petition, NBCC needs to cut 8,416 more trees for the project.

NBCC did not respond to HT’s queried despite repeated attempts.

Kandhari said despite the high court specifying the number of trees to be felled through an order in 2018, NBCC has not only increased the count once again, but it is also more than twice the number of 6,997. “To execute the project, over 15,000 trees will be impacted, as per the NBCC. This figure is simply unacceptable, at a time when nearly five trees are being cut every hour in the capital,” said Kandhari, referring to the forest department’s data, which had highlighted that 133,117 trees had been cut in the Capital between 2019 and 2021.

In its petition before the Supreme Court, NBCC had said,“...When the order in the High Court was passed on October 3, 2018, the number of affected trees was specified to be 6,997. However, on account of certain intervening situations like Covid-19 etc., the number of trees, which ordinarily would not have been termed as tree, but only on account of a definition of ‘tree’, as defined in clause (i) in Section 2 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994….therefore, the number of trees has now increased to 15,413.”

The expert committee will now carry out a site visit and ascertain whether additional trees need to be felled or not. According to the minutes of the meeting, the committee will comprise of Reena Gupta, member SEIAA, who will also be the convener; SEAC members Chetan Agarwal, Pranay Lal, Gopal Mohan, Sirajuddin Ahmed and a representative from the forest and wildlife department.

Reena Gupta said a site inspection was yet to be carried out, however, it will be planned soon. “The committee will look into the complaint,” she said.