'Radical shift’: at inspection, CM hails Delhi’s tree transplant program

Delhi’s tree coverage was 19.97% when the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in 2015 and the tree transplantation policy has brought a radical shift in policy regarding the issue of removal of trees to create space for construction, officials said.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said Delhi is the first state to implement a Tree Transplantation Policy, which mandates the transplantation of at least 80% trees at a project site in the national Capital.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said that after the implementation of the policy, 54% of transplanted trees have survived. (File photo)

Delhi’s tree coverage was 19.97% when the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in 2015 and the tree transplantation policy has brought a radical shift in policy regarding the issue of removal of trees to create space for construction, officials said.

“We are planting new trees all over Delhi while transplanting old ones. One-hundred-and-ninety of 220 trees are thriving here. Previously, if a tree was cut, only 10 new trees were required to be planted in its stead; now it is mandatory to transplant 80% old trees and plant 10 new ones for each tree that is cut. The Delhi government is very serious about the environment, as a result of which the Capital’s tree cover has increased from 19.97% to 23%, despite continuous development,” Kejriwal said during an inspection of transplanted trees in Mayur Vihar’s Gharoli Dairy Park, which used to be filled with trash before the government beautified the area via tree transplantation.

“We make sure that massive afforestation drives take place throughout the year. Delhi is the first and the only state in the country to implement the policy, wherein instead of cutting the tree, it is transplanted to another suitable place with the help of technology. No other country has had the foresight or fortitude to implement such a policy. Science has advanced to the point that it is now possible to uproot a tree along with its soil and replant it in a new location,” Kejriwal said.

The chief minister added that after the implementation of the policy, 54% of transplanted trees have survived.

“We have also formed a Tree Transplantation Cell, which monitors the process. In some places, to understand the success and failure of transplantation, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, will conduct audits,” Kejriwal said.