Delhi allows shifting of 2,675 trees in push for Dwarka e-way

The fate of the Delhi corridor — from Shiv Murti to the Dwarka Sector 21 underpass and from there to the Haryana border — had been hanging fire for the last two years for want of permission.

In a significant push to the much-delayed 29-km Dwarka expressway project, the Delhi government on Friday cleared a file related to the transplantation of trees from land acquired for the section of the road that falls in the national capital. The expressway connects Mahipalpur in Delhi with Kherki Daula in Gururgram and comprises four packages. Package one and two — roughly 10 km — are in Delhi and the other two in Gurugram.

In a significant push to the much-delayed 29-km Dwarka expressway project, the Delhi government on Friday cleared a file related to the transplantation of trees from land acquired for the section of the road that falls in the national capital. (Photo: Shivam Saxena/Hindustan Times) (HT Photo)

The fate of the Delhi corridor — from Shiv Murti to the Dwarka Sector 21 underpass and from there to the Haryana border — had been hanging fire for the last two years for want of permission.

Confirming the development, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office said permission had been granted to transplant the trees but with strict riders.

A CM office spokesperson said the Delhi government okayed shifting of 2,675 trees out of which 80% need to be transplanted and only 20% can be felled. “A file pertaining to the shifting of trees on the land needed for the construction of the Dwarka expressway was cleared by the CM,” the spokesperson said.

Palam MLA Bhavna Gaur also said the file had been cleared. “I was told by the CM that the file had been cleared. It will pave way for the construction of this road,” she said.

Earlier in the day, member of Parliament from Gurugram and union minister Rao Inderjit Singh had announced the development on Twitter. “Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari has informed that soon the foundation stone will be laid soon for this project,” said Singh. He had met Gadkari at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a six-lane access control road at Kalindi Kunj on Friday.

“This is a very important decision and it will facilitate the early construction of the Dwarka expressway, which is crucial for improving connectivity and commuting between Delhi and Gurugram,” said Singh.

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials said they were waiting for an official communication from the Delhi government and would first look into the details of the sanction. “We have not received any official document in this regard yet but it is a positive development if it has happened,” said a senior NHAI official involved with the project.

The reason why NHAI is still circumspect about the nod is that while it had sought permission to shift 13,000 trees, the Delhi government cleared only 2,675. “We don’t know how the calculation was carried out to reach this number,” said the NHAI official.

Residents of Dwarka expressway and homebuyers were happy. “We thank union minister Nitin Gadkari, Delhi CM, Gurugram MP and NHAI officials for making this happen. This road will transform the city,” said Prakhar Sahay, a homebuyer, and joint secretary of the Dwarka expressway welfare association.

The Dwarka expressway is being constructed by the NHAI as an elevated road after the project was transferred to it by the Haryana government in 2016.

While work on package 3 and 4 has begun in Gurugram, the Delhi portions were stuck for want of permission. According to NHAI’s detailed project report, package one is an eight-lane tunnel. A six-lane surface road will also be built after completion.

Package two is an elevated stretch with a large interchange to provide connectivity to Najafgarh.