India, July 8 -- The Delhi Forest Department has granted permission to NBCC Limited to transplant 1,049 trees and fell 42 trees for the redevelopment of the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) colony in Sarojini Nagar, according to an official order issued on June 19. The approval was granted under Section 9 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, following scrutiny of the proposal and site inspections by the designated tree officer. As per the order, the original proposal involved 1,218 trees. However, 48 trees were found to be outside the project area during verification. Later, the Central Empowered Committee directed that 79 additional trees be retained, reducing the final number of affected trees to 1,091. Of these, 1,049 will be transplanted while permission has been given to remove 42 trees. Also Read - Balcony of luxury society flat collapses in Gurugram; residents demand 'structural audit' The order requires NBCC to transplant the trees to Bharat Vandana Park in Dwarka and undertake compensatory plantation of 10,910 indigenous saplings at the same location. The agency has also been directed to comply with the Tree Transplantation Policy, 2020, upload geo-tagged photographs of the transplantation process on the forest department's portal, and submit annual progress reports. Authorities have instructed that no tree with active nests of birds, squirrels or snakes should be cut or transplanted until the nests are vacated. The order also mandates adequate spacing of transplanted trees, soil moisture conservation measures and protection of trees retained within the project area. If transplanted trees fail to survive, NBCC will have to plant indigenous trees with a minimum stem diameter of six inches at a ratio of five replacement trees for every failed transplant, at its own expense. The approval remains valid for two years, extendable by one year subject to valid reasons and compliance with directions of courts, the National Green Tribunal and the Commission for Air Quality Management. Environmental activists criticised the decision, arguing that mature trees provide irreplaceable ecological benefits and questioning the transparency of monitoring transplanted trees. They also expressed concerns that compensatory plantations often fail to adequately offset the environmental impact of large-scale tree loss in the capital.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.