LG grants exemption under tree-felling norms for Kasturba Nagar Housing Project

New Delhi, Jun 22 (PTI) Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has granted a special exemption under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, clearing the way for potential felling or transplantation of 856 trees for a government housing project in Kasturba Nagar.
    The exemption, issued under Section 29 of the Act and notified on June 13, allows the Central Public Works Department to apply for tree clearance for the 8.90-hectare General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) site. Ordinarily, tree officers can only consider permissions for areas up to one hectare under Section 9(3) of the Act.
    The move has drawn criticism from Delhi Congress, which called it a blow to environmental justice.
    "This is a double blow to both the environment and social justice," said Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav, accusing the BJP of granting approval for felling trees while enforcing pollution restrictions on the public.
    Yadav said this was just the beginning. In the coming weeks, thousands of trees will be cut down in Delhi, even as its green cover is depleting and it is already being counted as one of the most polluted capital cities in the world, he said.
    He alleged that the BJP's hidden agenda, to demolish the slums and drive out the poor who are an integral cog in the wheels of Delhi's existence and cut down trees to build high-rise buildings to cater to a particular class of people, have now come out in the open.
    The latest exemption formally overrides the restriction in the "public interest."
    However, the notification does not amount to direct permission for felling or transplanting trees.
    The final decision rests with the designated Tree Officer, who will conduct due diligence as per the rules of Delhi Preservation of Trees Act and relevant court directions.
    This marks the fourth such exemption in recent weeks, following similar orders for the redevelopment of New Delhi Railway Station, the Common Central Secretariat buildings, and a northeast Delhi flyover.
    The Kasturba Nagar project is part of a wider Central government initiative to redevelop seven GPRA colonies in South Delhi. The Central Public Works Department is overseeing four of these sites, of which two -- ”Mohammadpur and Thyagraj Nagar -- are already complete.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)