Delhi's tree cutting plan: Not just bad ecology, but bad math as well

Recent plans to ‘redevelop’ government residential colonies in south Delhi have been in the news for the wrong reasons. The proposals involve cutting and removal of a majority of the standing trees -- several of which are fifty years old or more -- and have led to questions about how such ‘re-development’ plans are prepared and evaluated.

Delhi is one of the greenest capitals in the world, something that makes this city - situated in a semi-arid zone - more habitable. This greenery, however, is distributed unevenly. On the one hand, we have Lutyens Delhi, the city’s greenest area, which has the luxury of large plots with one house set among hundreds of trees. On the other end of the greenery continuum, we have ‘unauthorized’ colonies such as Sangam Vihar, where one tree is surrounded by hundreds of houses. The colonies of Netaji Nagar, Nauroji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, among others, are relatively green and closer to Lutyens, but the redevelopment plans, if not revised, may push them closer to the bleak built-up landscapes like Sangam Vihar.

The planning process involves the preparation of a plan by the planners and architects, landscaping proposals from a landscape architect, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) commissioned by the project proponent, which is reviewed by a government committee appointed by the MoEFCC, and tree cutting permission from a tree officer under the Tree Preservation Act in Delhi.Read complete Article