Felling trees for redevelopment should be minimal, need 'best replacement' plan to maintain green cover: Environment Secy CK Mishra

New Delhi: Uprooting of trees for any development activity has to “kept to the minimum”, Union environment secretary CK Mishra said on Wednesday.

The Centre had last month said that it would be cutting over 14,000 trees for building more than 25,000 flats for government employees in seven colonies of south Delhi.

The proposal attracted heavy criticism from green activists, politicians, and citizens and the matter reached the Delhi High Court, which directed the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) to not cut any more trees in the national capital till 4 July.

During a panel discussion on saving the environment, Mishra, to a question on the current scenario of tree felling in the national capital for several redevelopment projects, said, “Uprooting of trees for any development activity has to be kept to the minimum and we have taken this up with the Delhi government as well.”

“Let’s not get into numbers. I’d rather argue on a concept as to what is the best replacement level that can be created, for maintaining the green cover,” he said, but asserted that Delhi is an “outstanding example” when it comes to green cover in the city as a whole.

NBCC is redeveloping Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Nauroji Nagar, while the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is managing the rest of the four colonies in Kasturba Nagar, Thyagraj Nagar, Srinivaspuri, and Mohammadpur.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri last month had said that no trees would be cut in the process of redevelopment of the seven colonies in South Delhi, as he also assured that the national capital’s green cover would not be damaged and steps would be taken to enhance it.

The Housing and Urban Affairs minister had said the agencies —NBCC and CPWD — entrusted with executing the redevelopment project have been asked to rework and redesign the plans to avoid cutting of trees.

However, some trees may be transplanted at some other location and the NBCC has floated an Expression of Interest for the acquisition of tree re-location or transplantation equipment and for engaging services of trained professional entities in this respect, the government had said.