The Times of India 02.11.2009
MCD damages 50 trees on Lodhi Road
NEW DELHI: Delhi's rapidly changing landscape is in stiff conflict with its green. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) road widening project next to Lodhi Road has raised the hackles of the forest department for the deplorable state of trees on that stretch. With barely a few inches of mud being allowed to stand around the trees and many of them missing roots, its only a matter of time before some of them come crashing down.
The road widening is part of a Rs 350 crore Commonwealth Games project that involves covering the Sunehri Nullah from Lal Lajpat Rai Marg to Dyal Singh College and Kushak Nullah from South Gate of Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to IVth Avenue Road to provide parking for 700 buses. The forest department had given permission for felling 1,058 trees for the project which did not include the stretch in front of India Habitat Centre's gate no 2 to Kotla Railway gate. The project does not have any clearance from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission though MCD has contested that it does not require permission from them.
Senior officials of the forest department said that MCD had not been given permission to cut down trees for that project but the condition of trees was such that permission to fell them would have to be given perforce. "We had received an application from MCD for tree felling on that stretch but none had been given. However, it has come to our notice that the trees are in a pathetic state, roots of many chopped off, and there seems to be no option but to have them cut down now. We will carry out an inspection to see how bad the situation is,'' said an official.
Strangely, MCD is still waiting for tree felling permission from the forest department. As officials denied that the trees would come to any harm, they said that they would contact the forest department again in the coming week to see if permission for felling or even re-transplantation would be given to them. "About 6 months back, we had asked the forest department for permission to fell about 50 trees that would have come in the way of broadening the road. However, even as we have been in constant touch with them, they haven't formally rejected our demand. We will pursue the matter with them again and see what they have to say,'' said sources.
MCD officials added that if permission was denied, they would ensure safety of the trees by raising a mud guard around them.
The road widening is part of a Rs 350 crore Commonwealth Games project that involves covering the Sunehri Nullah from Lal Lajpat Rai Marg to Dyal Singh College and Kushak Nullah from South Gate of Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to IVth Avenue Road to provide parking for 700 buses. The forest department had given permission for felling 1,058 trees for the project which did not include the stretch in front of India Habitat Centre's gate no 2 to Kotla Railway gate. The project does not have any clearance from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission though MCD has contested that it does not require permission from them.
Senior officials of the forest department said that MCD had not been given permission to cut down trees for that project but the condition of trees was such that permission to fell them would have to be given perforce. "We had received an application from MCD for tree felling on that stretch but none had been given. However, it has come to our notice that the trees are in a pathetic state, roots of many chopped off, and there seems to be no option but to have them cut down now. We will carry out an inspection to see how bad the situation is,'' said an official.
Strangely, MCD is still waiting for tree felling permission from the forest department. As officials denied that the trees would come to any harm, they said that they would contact the forest department again in the coming week to see if permission for felling or even re-transplantation would be given to them. "About 6 months back, we had asked the forest department for permission to fell about 50 trees that would have come in the way of broadening the road. However, even as we have been in constant touch with them, they haven't formally rejected our demand. We will pursue the matter with them again and see what they have to say,'' said sources.
MCD officials added that if permission was denied, they would ensure safety of the trees by raising a mud guard around them.
