New Delhi: Nearly four years after the forest department imposed a Rs 5.9-crore penalty on the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) for the alleged illegal removal of 990 trees at the Bijwasan project site in Dwarka, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) and the forest department have granted permission to the authority to transplant or fell 1,254 trees for the same project.
Bijwasan Rail Terminal Project Details
The Bijwasan rail terminal project, aimed at decongesting New Delhi station, faced opposition from locals and activists who ran a campaign called 'Save Dwarka Forest'. However, the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court allowed RLDA to proceed with the project.
RLDA had initially sought permission to fell or transplant 1,293 trees for the project. However, CEC and the forest department approved the felling or transplanting of 1,254 trees, thus reducing the number of impacted trees, according to an order issued by the forest department on May 5. Of the 1,254 trees, 780 will be felled while 474 will be transplanted.
Compensatory Plantation Requirements
As RLDA will have to carry out compensatory plantation in a 1:10 ratio, the forest department has stated that the compensatory plantation site proposed at Narela station to Badli station, railway land of the Rail Neer plant near Maharaja Surajmal Stadium metro station, and the railway land adjacent to the Nangloi station platform was inspected by field staff and found suitable and sufficient to plant 12,540 saplings. The site proposed at Bijwasan, Sector 21 in Dwarka, was found suitable for transplantation of 507 trees, added the order.
Previous Penalty and Investigation
In 2022, the forest department imposed the fine on RLDA. A forest team excavated a portion of land initially in search of evidence and found around 150 trees from an area of around 0.6 hectares. Based on satellite images and the plot sampling method, the final investigation report stated that 990 trees were illegally felled or removed from about four hectares.
Project Features and Current Status
The Bijwasan project will have eight platforms, up from the current two, and four subways. There are also provisions for separate pick-up and drop-off zones. While the building structure is ready, masonry and finishing works are in progress.
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