The recommended relocation of around 12,000 trees from south Delhi for the redevelopment of three colonies — Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar and Kasturba Nagar — is posing a huge challenge to the city’s authorities. Officials have found themselves in a bind after a government-appointed expert panel recommended that the environmental clearances for the three redevelopment projects be granted, but on the condition that thousands of trees which were likely to be cut down are relocated instead.
The recommendation comes in the wake of widespread protests from the city’s citizens against the government’s initial redevelopment plans, which would have resulted in cutting down around 20,000 trees. Vehement protests consequently pushed the government to set up an expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MOEFCC), which has now recommended a conditional clearance.
However, concerned authorities say the condition is impractical and will be very difficult to implement. “The panel has recommended relocating of trees. This is not practically possible. Also, how many plants can one save? This is not going to work and there has to be some other solution,” a senior official with state-run construction major NBCC told the publication. NBCC is the company executing the redevelopment project.
According to the EAC’s minutes, it has recommended that out of 11,913 trees in Sarojini Nagar, 3,500 trees will be translocated and the rest will be retained at the project site. In Netaji Nagar, of the 3,906 proposed trees which were to be felled, 1,600 are to be translocated and the rest retained. Finally, in Kasturba Nagar, 405 are to be translocated and 798 retained.
So far, according to the PIL filed in Delhi High Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the felling of trees, the High Court had ordered that the status quo be maintained in the redevelopment of all seven GPRA Colonies including Sarojini Nagar on July 2, 2018 and July 26, 2018.