Delhi govt nod to transplant trees for defence project

The Delhi government has approved a proposal for the removal and transplantation of 214 trees from a plot in south Delhi, clearing the way for a defence project in the Capital. The agency concerned will have to take up plantation of 2,140 new saplings as per plan within three months from the date when the trees are removed, officials aware of the matter said.

The government, in a statement, said, “Given the importance of the modern infrastructure for the defence forces, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal gave his nod to speed up the work by clearing the patch, in national interest.”

Kejriwal said, “The Delhi government will always uphold national interest and help the forces in any way possible. This approval will help give the forces access to better facilities. We are actively ensuring that modern developments do not adversely impact Delhi and are mandating 10x compensatory plantation for any tree that gets affected.”

The Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, entails that for each felled tree, 10 trees must be planted and for each transplanted tree, 10 trees must be planted. The Delhi government’s Tree Transplantation Policy, 2020, also mandates that the survival rate of the trees planted as part of compensatory plantation must be at least 80%.

Under the defence project, the trees to be planted include neem, amaltas, peepal, pilkhan, gular, bargad, desi kikar and arjun, among other species. These trees will be planted as saplings of 6-8 feet height on non-forest land, officials said.

The government has asked the agency to ensure that not a single tree at the site is damaged, other than those identified and approved by the government. If any tree apart from the approved ones is damaged, it shall constitute an offence under Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, the government said.