Tree cutting for housing: Call to seek public view

NEW DELHI: A citizens’ group which has

legal researcher

, Kanchi Kohli;

ecologist

Pradip

Krishen

among others as members has

suggested

that the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MOHUA) hold a set of

public hearings

to seek opinion of citizens on the

ecological consequences

of the seven south Delhi colony

redevelopment projects

which had initially proposed felling of more than 16,000 trees to make way for construction.

The citizens'group which includes vocal residents like Asutosh Dikshit who represents United Residents Joint Action (URJA) a coalition of resident welfare organisations (RWAs) in Delhi has also demanded a comprehensive ecological assessment of real estate projects as well. “Exemption given to real estate projects from public hearings under the environment impact assessment (EIA notification) must be removed. The environment ministry must notify a new procedure for comprehensive assessments of projects in urban areas. These must include cumulative impacts studies rather than singular project assessments,” they said in a joint statement released to TOI.

Since last month when the proposal of felling thousands of trees for the colonies to be built by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) spread,

civil society groups

and citizens have held a series of public actions include litigation, tree protection campaigns and street protests, tree census and bird counts. Residents are also patrolling the construction sites at night to ensure compliance of the Delhi High Court’s stay order on tree felling by the projects.

“Several new large-scale construction projects have been permitted in the city by the central and state governments at a time when Delhi’s citizens are battling the world’s worst air quality, an unprecedented water shortage, traffic congestion, increasing temperatures and an overall breakdown of urban governance,” they added.