Transport dept loses ₹2.8cr deposit, fined ₹40L for Burari bus depot tree mishandling

The forest department said it would now carry out the plantation and asked the transport department to hand over a 50,000 square-metre land parcel for the purpose

New Delhi

View of a bus depot in Delhi. (Representative photo/HT Archive)

The Delhi transport department was penalised ₹40.18 lakh and its security deposit of ₹2.82 crore was seized for failing to carry out compensatory plantation of over 5,600 saplings in lieu of felling trees to construct a bus depot in Burari in 2019, according to a report submitted by the forest and wildlife department to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on September 2.

The forest department said it would now carry out the plantation and asked the transport department to hand over a 50,000 square-metre land parcel for the purpose.

“It has been mentioned by you (transport department) in a letter dated March 7, 2024 that plantation of 1,000 saplings has already been in February 2020 and June and August 2022 at the Burari complex. Out of the 1,000 saplings, 830 were stated to have survived. However, a joint inspection of the site was carried out by officials of the forest department and along with representatives of the transport department on May 1. During the course of the inspection, they failed to locate the compensatory plantation on the ground physically,” the forest department said in its report.

The forest department, which gave permission to fell or transplant 495 trees in 2019, said compensatory plantation in the ratio 1:10 for 4,950 saplings was pending. Of the 495 trees, 168 were to be transplanted.

In April, HT reported that the forest department found only 27 trees of the 168 that were to be transplanted had survived the process and the remaining 141 had either completely dried up or were “missing”. For this, compensatory plantation of another 705 trees, in the ratio of 1:5, was directed.

“Therefore, in compliance with directions of the NGT, as tree officer, I am empowered to forfeit the security deposit amount of ₹2.82 crore under Section 12 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, for taking up compensatory plantation of 5,655 saplings (4,950+705). Further, you are hereby requested to deposit an additional amount of ₹40.18 lakh for taking up compensatory plantation of 705 saplings...as well as handover land of 50,895 sqmtrs for a period of seven years to carry out this compensatory plantation,” a letter drafted by the deputy conservator of forest (Central), which is part of the report, said.

The NGT, hearing a petition filed by Delhi resident Pramod Tyagi last February over the alleged felling of over 3,000 trees for the bus depot, directed the forest department to place on record details of the permission given and the actual number of trees felled.

The transport department did not respond to requests for comment.