Forest Department Grants Delhi Metro Permission To Cut Down 3,000 Trees

Delhi Metro's Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor being built as part of Phase-4; to be called 'Silver Line'. (Image used for representational purpose)

(Photo: PTI)

The Forest Department has given permission to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to cut down or transplant 2,940 trees in the North Forest Division, along with 450 trees in the South Forest Division, for Delhi Metro Phase 4.

The permission was granted by the Deputy Conservator of Forest (North) under Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.

As per a report by The Indian Express, 1,963 trees of the initial 2,940 are reportedly going to be transplanted, while 977 will be cut down.

The deforestation is being conducted to facilitate the construction of a metro line between Janakpuri West-Mukarba Chowk-Derawal Nagar. This will be a part of the Janakpuri West to R K Ashram route, which will envelope 29.26 km stretch and comprise 22 stations.

The 23.6 km line between Aerocity and Tughlakabad will comprise the Khanpur to Sangam Vihar section, and requires the felling of 450 trees, reported Indian Express. Of these, 299 will be transplanted, and the remaining 151 will be felled.

4,500 saplings in total will be planted at compensatory plantation sites in Rohini area, North Delhi.

"Tree-cutting permissions are a challenge and activists can sometime misguide the public," Mangu Singh, the managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation told HT recently.

"They say if you want to save the earth, save trees, but the positive aspect also has to be looked at, in the sense that if one does not build the Metro, Delhi’s pollution and emissions will be much higher," the DMRC chief had stated, adding that in the long-term, the Delhi Metro will reduce the pollution in the national capital by providing an alternative to private vehicles.

(With inputs from The Indian Express and Hindustan Times.)