At the site of the tree felling in Noida’s Sector 91
In Noida’s Sector, 91 is a 75-acre forest in the middle of the city, where the scent of eucalyptus hangs heavy in the air and a walk inside reveals grazing nilgai. About six months ago, the Noida Authority began work on felling this forest to redevelop it as a biodiversity park — a move that has recently drawn the ire of environmentalists and local residents.
According to Noida Authority officials, the idea to convert the area into a biodiversity park was proposed in 2005 and was approved by the authority board in March 2016. “All the felling is being done with the cooperation of the UP Forest Corporation… 99% of the trees in the forest are eucalyptus and more than 31 years old… they have reached the end of their lives. There is a danger of these falling and hurting people. Plus, eucalyptus hardly has any use other than for commercial purposes. In the new biodiversity park, 5,000 long-life trees will be planted in their place — species like neem, jamun, tamarind, mahua, mango and so on,” said ACEO, Noida Authority, R K Mishra. The area was notified as ‘city forest’ under the 2021 Noida Master Plan, but land use has been modified in the draft 2031 Master Plan to ‘park and playground’.
According to the park plans, 95,000 shrubs will also be planted and facilities like a jogging track, multi-purpose hall, food courts, ampitheatre, playground, water bodies and parking space will be constructed.
Many civil society members, though, are not keen on the plan. “Why should food courts, ampitheatres and parking spaces come up? If there is a problem with eucalyptus trees, they can be replaced gradually in a phased manner instead of this drastic felling of trees,” said Vineet Aggarwal, who lives nearby.
On Friday, a letter was given on behalf of the group by advocate Anil Sood to Principal Secretary and Secretary of Forest, UP, the Chief Secretary and Chief Minister, Secretary in the MoEF, and the CMD and CEO of Noida Authority, requesting that the permission for felling be recalled. Residents have also called a protest at the forest area on Saturday evening.