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Plea filed in NGT over permission to cut 3,000 trees for Dwarka eway
The plea says the permission to cut 3,000 trees was given to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) without ensuring compensatory plantation.
A city-based NGO has moved the National Green Tribunal, alleging that the Delhi government has given permission to cut 3,000 trees and transplant another 3,500 trees for the Dwarka Expressway Package II, without assessing the survival rate of the transplanted trees.
The plea says the permission to cut 3,000 trees was given to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) without ensuring compensatory plantation.
A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice AK Goel directed the principal chief conservator of forest to file a ‘factual report’ within a month.
The plea was filed on Thursday by the Society for Protection of Culture, Heritage, Environment, Traditions and Promotion of National Awareness (SP-CHETNA).
“We want to know from the forest department where will the compensatory plantation be done in Delhi as land is scarce. Also how can they allow transplantation without knowing what is the survival rate of trees after they are transplanted,” said Anil Sood, president of SP-CHETNA.
The forest department had come under flak in June 2018 for giving permission to cut down thousands of trees for the redevelopment of seven government colonies in south Delhi. The permission was later revoked.
In February this year, the forest department had come up with a draft tree transplantation policy that is aimed to transplant 80% of the indigenous trees in any given project.
Experts and activists had criticised the draft, saying that it was ‘unscientific’ as the government’s own experiences in the past in Pragati Maidan showed that only three percent of the trees were found to be fit for transplantation.
While Ishwar Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, could not be contacted for his comments despite repeated attempts, a senior forest official confirmed that permission had been granted to NHAI. He, however, couldn’t provide details of the permission.
The 29km Dwarka Expressway will connect Gurugram and Delhi. 18.9 km is in Gurugram and 10.1 km in Delhi.
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