Majority of trees transplanted for bus depot in north Delhi dying

The forest department carried out a site inspection and found several trees transplanted to have completely dried up

Several trees transplanted at the Driver Training Institute in Burari in north Delhi for the construction of a bus cluster depot are unlikely to survive unless immediate interventions are made, the state forest and wildlife department has said.

The department said the project had requisite permission to transplant 234 trees while four others were to be felled for the construction of the cluster bus depot number 2, which is being built on the premises of the Driver Training Institute. (HT Archive)

In a submission to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), on August 11, the department said that it had carried out an inspection of the site on July 27 after a local resident had alleged several environmental norm violations at the site before and during the course of the project. While the land for the project site falls under the transport department, the project itself is being undertaken by the Public Works Department.

On July 3, the forest department had been directed by NGT to carry out a site inspection and prepare an action taken report. The department said that following the inspection in question, it found several trees transplanted to have completely dried up.

The department said the project had requisite permission to transplant 234 trees while four others were to be felled for the construction of the cluster bus depot number 2, which is being built on the premises of the Driver Training Institute.

“An online application for tree felling permission of 238 trees at the Driver Training Institute for the construction of the cluster bus depot number 2, which was applied by the executive engineer, flyover project division, PWD. Subsequently, on approval given by the competent higher authority and on submission of all required documents for compensatory plantation, permission for felling and transplantation was granted the Deputy Conservator of Forests (Central) on September 7, 2022,” said the submission by the department.

In the submission, the department added that during the subsequent inspection carried out at the project site, it found that “transplantation carried out at the boundary wall of the project site was in bad condition and in a dried-up state”.

The forest department’s submission also includes a copy of the internal report of the forest guard who inspected the site. The report said that the transplanted trees are “about to die soon” unless urgent action is taken.

To be sure, the forest guard’s report does not mention the exact number of trees that have completely dried up.

The forest guard, Gaurav Sharma, also refuted the claims made by the petitioner, Pramod Tyagi, who said that over 3,000 trees had been cut on the site. The forest guard said that just over 900 trees are likely to be part of the cluster depot site.

Tyagi submitted a petition at NGT in February this year alleging that trees had been cut at the site without permission, adding that considerable environmental damage has taken place on the ground.

Meanwhile, PWD and transport department officials did not respond to request for comments.