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Highlighting the “unwarranted” delays in permitting the felling of trees and their translocation, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has once again written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stating this has stalled several critical development projects in the city.
“It has been brought to my notice that at least 15 proposals concerning transplantation /felling of trees, which are essential for execution of the projects at various locations in the locations in the capital are facing hurdles due to want of clearances at the level of the concerned minister,” he said in his letter.
The Lieutenant Governor said “such unwarranted delays in disposal of applications regarding permission for relocation /transplantation is leading to a waste of public funds due to time and cost overruns of the projects for which accountability needs to be fixed”.
“Further pendency in completion of the projects is also delaying the provision of much required public utilities and services to the citizens of Delhi. Project Management Agencies/Departments are being constrained to seek relief from the Hon’ble Courts, resulting in overburdening the Hon’ble Courts besides leading to wastage of time and energy at all levels,” he added.
The Lieutenant Governor further said that he had raised the matter “regarding undue delay in disposal of applications for grant of permission for tree cutting/translocation in case of various projects of the CPWD, DMRC and Indian Railways” several times during his meetings with Kejriwal.
“However, the pendency continues to persist. Any kind of indecision in such matters not only hampers the pace of development projects but also affects public welfare. I once again exhort you to look into the issue and expedite the long pending clearances for transplantation/ tree cutting so that projects of national importance can be completed within their laid down timelines. An early action in the matter will be appreciated,” he added.
This is the second letter written by Saxena to Kejriwal on this matter. He wrote a letter earlier on August 17.
The stalled projects include the redevelopment of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi metro phase IV projects, new engineering block and academic complex in IIT Delhi, CISF building in Saket, construction of the road over bridge and road under bridge by the MCD at Sultanpuri near Nangloi, construction of the important Dwarka Expressway Phase II and construction of UER-II at NH-34 in Delhi.
The metro tracks, which are waiting for approval from the forest department for the removal/translocation of trees are Paschim Vihar to Madhuban Chowk, Majlis Park to Derawal Nagar, Saket G-Block to Khanpur to Tughlakabad, Pul Bangash to Ghantaghar, Janakpuri West to R.K. Ashram and Saket G-Block to Sangam Vihar.
According to information shared by the officials from the Lieutenant Governor’s house, the permission for around 15 important infrastructure projects are pending with the Minister of Environment and Forest, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), since 2019.
The officials said the other projects under the redevelopment of General Pool Residential Accommodations (GPRA) are also awaiting nod since 2019. These include the projects at Sriniwaspuri pending since 2019, two projects at Sarojini Nagar pending since 2021 and one pending since April, 2022.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government in its response said it is “looking into the matter”.
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