GHAZIABAD: Around 15,000 trees have been felled across the district over the last seven years to make way for highways and other infrastructure projects, triggering concerns among environmentalists over the loss in green cover at a time the National Capital Region is reeling from rising pollution levels.
Although forest officials said they planned to plant around 51,000 saplings over the next few years, the activists doubted if that could make up for the loss.
According to data sourced from the forest department, a majority of trees had to be cut because of four major projects. For the
Eastern Peripheral Expressway, the forest department had given permission to cut 657 trees, of which 437 were felled. Altogether 10,391 trees were chopped off for the widening of NH-24 and the Delhi-Meerut-Expressway project, and 174 trees were cut for the Hindon Elevated Road. A majority of 2,029 trees have been cut for the Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (Delhi–Meerut RRTS) in the city.
“According to our records, permission had been given to cut 13,791 trees for four major projects in the city,” said Deeksha Bhandari, the district forest officer. “The agencies concerned have submitted the required amount of money as compensation for the trees that had to be felled. In the days to come, we will begin a massive drive to plant around 51,500 saplings across the city. This will compensate for the loss of green cover,” Bhandari added.
But environmentalists refused to buy the forest department’s claim . “According to the 2017 forest survey report, Ghaziabad’s green cover had increased by a mere 0.32%. The ‘increase’ reflected in the 2017 report is only because the adjoining Hapur district was excluded from Ghaziabad. The figure is erroneous,” city-based environmentalist Sushil Raghav said. “The claim made by the forest department needs to be verified. I am planning to file an RTI seeking information on the exact number of saplings planted in lieu of every tree cut,” he added.
For the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, the forest department had given permission to cut 657 trees, of which 437 were felled.