Delhi HC Put Off Cutting Of 17,000 Trees Project Till July

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Delhi HC Put Off Cutting Of 17,000 Trees Project Till July

The Delhi High Court (HC) today announced the 17,000 trees to be cut for government officers’ houses and a commercial complex would be put off till the 4th of July. At the hearing the High Court questioned if the tree cutting was approved by the Green Tribunal.

The Green Tribunal was created in 2010 under the Ministry of Environment Protection. The department decides and approves any kind of deforestation in the Country.

The Delhi Court said cutting trees for road widening is justified however, “You want to cut thousands of trees for housing. Can Delhi afford this?” The National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) overseeing the project were left speechless.  

Petitioner K. K. Mishra approached the Court regarding the project with a valid concern Mr. Mishra expressed, “More than 20,000 trees will be cut in the main South Delhi area. A CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report states there is a deficit of nine lakh trees in Delhi. I hope the court will put a stay on the order.”

The NBCC assured the same amount of saplings would be planted in Delhi. However, environmentalists argue saplings cannot replace full grown trees in Delhi for years. They also stressed on the fact that Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world.

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Hardeep Singh Puri stated, “Till the time I am a minister no tree will be cut and for every tree that is cut we will plant 10 trees. Green cover will go up by three times after redevelopment of seven colonies in South Delhi. Young activists are too fast to blame.”

Many on social media criticised Mr. Puri’s justification for the project. One of the Twitter handles commented, “It is not just about a tree it is the entire ecosystem that thrives on it, the insects the birds the animals, over it chopping down a 50 year old tree and replacing it with a sapling, how foolish! Afforestation is not the replacement for deforestation.”

Mr. Puri refused to see the scientific backing of the comments and lashed out. He said, “Be careful with your tone. Just because I am a public servant, you cannot take the liberty of being offensive. All this predates me.The decision taken will ensure that at no point of time will there be even one less tree in the area.”

A total of 3,000 trees have already be uprooted under the South Delhi redevelopment project earlier this month. Locals held a candlelight march on Friday over the thousands of trees uprooted.

Also Read: Hyderabad: Climate Change Killing 430 Year Old Baobab Tree At Golconda Fort

Telangana: A 700 Year Old Banyan Tree Revived With Drip

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