1,480 trees to be cut for Chilla elevated road

NOIDA: The Noida Authority has said that about 1,480

trees

will need to be cut for the construction of

Chilla

elevated road that will connect Delhi and Noida.

The authority has already received a no objection certificate (

NOC

) from the irrigation department in Delhi for felling of trees and now needs a final clearance from the forest department in Noida.

The six-lane elevated road is being constructed at a cost of Rs 605 crore. Once built, it is expected to ease congestion along Dadri-Surajpur-Chhalera (DSC) Road and the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway for those travelling between Delhi, Noida and Greater Noida.

Along the stretch, sectors 14A and 15A,

Film City

and

Mayur Vihar

areas witness snarls almost on a daily basis.

Officials said that of the trees that have to be cut, most are of kikar (thorny acacia) variety. The trees are along the entire alignment of the elevated road, starting from Chilla regulator in Mayur Vihar till Master Plan 3 road.

“There are 1,480 trees, according to an initial survey that we conducted and most are within Noida. The trees are along the drains near sectors 14A, 15A, 16A and 38A and some are near the stretch that meets Master Plan 3 road. We have written to the forest department seeking permissions,” said an official from Noida Authority.

Forest department officials said that permissions would be given after a site inspection by the department, along with Noida Authority officials.

“We have not got a request yet. But we will conduct a joint inspection to demarcate the trees before giving an approval. Compensatory afforestation will need be done in lieu of trees that will be cut,” said P K Srivastava, the divisional forest officer.

Officials said that depending on viability, some trees may also be transplanted instead of being cut.

Activists, meanwhile, said that it was huge number of trees that would be lost, considering the environment in NCR.

“When the authority was planning to widen the road, about 600 trees were to be cut. Then we had supported the elevated road, as that would solve the traffic issue without any trees getting cut. But nearly 1,500 is three times the previous number and it would be a big loss for Noida. They should consider shifting the alignment to ensure that fewer trees are cut,” said Vikrant Tongad, an environmental activist.

Despite large scale plantation drives taken up by various agencies in Gautam Budh Nagar, the forest cover has remained the same compared to last year, according to the India State of Forest Report, 2019, released two months ago.