Trees can be planted again: Councillor

Our representatives in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi might be making tall claims of promoting greenery in the city, but more often they fail to practise what they preach, reports Neelam Pandey.

Our representatives in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi might be making tall claims of promoting greenery in the city, but more often they fail to practise what they preach.

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More than 500 trees may have to be uprooted if the civic body's plan to widen the Shooting Range Road from M.B Road to the Haryana border is implemented.

The road leads to Dr Karni Singh stadium, one of the venues for the forthcoming 2010 Commonwealth Games. The road-widening project is part of its plan to rev up the city’s infrastructure for the Games.

And rather than worrying about the greenery of the area, the MCD councilors are hell-bent on completing the project at any cost.

The original plan prepared by the executive wing of the civic agency does not include the road-widening part that would require cutting of trees.

But MCD zonal councillor Sarita Chaudhary insisted that the road project had to be included in the original plan as it would help reduce traffic congestion in the area. Later, the MCD standing committee resolved that a fresh proposal would include the road-widening bit.

According to the MCD executive wing, the area is part of the Southern Ridge and also included in the reserved forest under the Indian Forest Act.

“Trees can be planted again. It’s not such a big task. But the traffic situation is very bad on this stretch and hence widening of the road is quite essential,” said Chaudhary. The scheme, which will cost Rs 1.55 crore, has already been approved by the Lt Governor. “For cutting the trees, prior permission has to be taken from the Supreme Court which is not possible before the Commonwealth Games,” said a MCD official.