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Indian Express

Govt housing project in Kasturba Nagar: Delhi L-G V K Saxena grants exemption to consider requests for cutting trees on nearly 9 hectares

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has granted an exemption to allow the processing of tree-cutting and transplantation requests over an area larger than the usual one-hectare limit for a government housing project at Kasturba Nagar Phase-II. This allows the tree officer to decide on the felling or transplantation request for 856 trees that will be affected by the proposed construction. According to the gazette notification dated June 13 and made public Sunday, the exemption has been given for 8.90 hectares of land where the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) plans to construct General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA). The project site falls under the jurisdiction of the South Forest Division. Under Section 9(3) of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994, applications for felling or transplantation of trees are typically allowed only for areas of up to one hectare. However, since the GPRA project involves a much larger area, the tree officer of the South Forest Division had written to the government seeking special permission. Acting on this request, L-G Saxena, using the powers available under Section 29 of the DPTA, approved the exemption for the full 8.90 hectares. The notification stated that the exemption is being granted 'in public interest' to facilitate the construction of government housing at the site. However, the exemption does not mean permission to cut or transplant trees has been granted. The notification emphasised that this step is only meant to allow the tree officer to consider the application for such a large area legally. The initial request to fell or transplant 856 trees within the project site is to be scrutinised independently and separately by the tree officer under DPTA 1994 provisions. As per the notification, the tree officer will consider the application independently under all applicable laws, rules, guidelines, and court directions. The officer must also 'minimise the number of affected trees to be transplanted/felled from within the exempted area' while reviewing the proposal. The boundaries of the exempted 8.90 hectares of land have been marked in detail, and the geo-coordinates shared in the notification.