NEW DELHI: Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has directed the Forest Department to empanel agencies with advanced machinery and proven technical expertise to improve the survival rates of transplanted trees in the national capital.
The decision came after a review meeting chaired by Sirsa with senior officials of the Forest Department to assess the outcomes of ongoing tree transplantation projects. Following the meeting, the department issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) inviting qualified agencies to apply for empanelment.
Officials said the move aims to address low survival rates recorded in earlier transplantation efforts. “Until now, many agencies used backhoe loaders to uproot trees, which caused root damage and led to poor survival. Going forward, only those with professional tree transplanter machines capable of lifting full-grown trees with intact root systems will be empanelled,” Sirsa said.
He emphasised that transplantation should focus on saving trees rather than merely relocating them. “Transplantation must save trees, not just shift them. Delhi deserves outcomes in tree transplantation,” he added. The minister also said that the government’s directive was part of a larger push to strengthen the city’s green cover and environmental safeguards. “This directive is intended to act as an environmental safety net for the city’s green cover,” he said.
