New Delhi:
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday accused the Centre of failing to address environmental safety concerns in its redevelopment plan.
Party spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that 17,000 trees would be cut down in Lutyens’ Delhi as part of the redevelopment plan.
He said that the central government was planning to fell “11,000 trees in Sarojini Nagar itself”, even as the party mulls a Chipko movement-like protest against the move.
“Our information is that no environmental assessment has been conducted. The Delhi government has also not been consulted as to how the needs of transport, water and sewer requirements under the redevelopment plan will be fulfilled,” the AAP chief spokesperson said.
The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on Thursday said 14,031 trees would be cut down out of the existing 21,040 trees for the redevelopment of seven south Delhi colonies of Nauroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Mohammadpur, Sriniwaspuri, Kasturba Nagar and Thyagaraj Nagar.
Bharadwaj clarified that the AAP was not against the redevelopment of the south Delhi colonies, but the Centre should take the project to other places like Rohini, Dwarka, Gurugram or Noida if trees were to be cut on such a large scale.
The Centre, however, had stated that the redevelopment would lead to an “increase in the green area coverage by about three times...and the compensatory plantation of trees will be done in the ratio of 1:10, thereby resulting in an enhanced tree-coverage area”.
“The re-development of the seven colonies is being done with complete adherence to environmental sustainability and green building concepts and special care and attention is being given towards retaining the maximum number of the existing trees,” it had said.
(With inputs from agencies)
