Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal (File)After inspecting transplanted trees at Mayur Vihar’s Gharoli Dairy Park, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday said Delhi is the first and only state in the country to implement a ‘Tree Transplantation Policy’ which mandates that 80% trees affected by a project are to be transplanted rather than cut down.
The policy was launched in October 2020 and so far, 54% of transplanted trees have survived, said Kejriwal.
The government also set up a tree transplantation cell to monitor transplantation of trees.
Of 220 transplanted trees in Gharoli Park, 190 survived and only around 30 did not.
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The CM said that the policy has brought a radical shift in tree plantation and in making space for construction: “Earlier, 10 trees were planted to compensate one tree to make up for environmental damage. But this technique was ineffective as the saplings are small and couldn’t perfectly replace a fully grown tree. But the Delhi government’s approach to involve scientific methods has given good results.”
He added that Delhi’s tree cover has increased from 19.97% to 23% since the AAP came to power. The government has further roped in Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, to carry out a third-party audit and determine the survival rates of transplanted trees.
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