Delhi Assembly panel to visit redevelopment project sites tomorrow

A panel of the Delhi Assembly will visit the sites of the redevelopment projects in South Delhi tomorrow to inspect the current status of felled trees and compensatory plantation by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC).

Sources said that the panel has directed the NBCC officials to be present at the sites tomorrow, adding that it will submit its report on the matter in the Delhi Assembly.

"Tomorrow, Assembly Committee of Delhi Assembly will visit the sites of Central Govt redevelopment projects. It will inspect the current status of felled trees & compensatory plantations by NBCC," AAP MLA Sourabh Bharadwaj said in a tweet.

The Centre's recent decision to cut over 14,000 trees for building over 25,000 flats for government employees in seven colonies of South Delhi has attracted widespread criticism from green activists, politicians and citizens.

The Delhi High Court had on June 25 ordered an interim stay on the tree chopping process in the city till July 4.

Facing flak for the project, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, later in the day, stated that no tree would be cut in the national capital.

As per the ministry's plan, citizens will be invited to suggest places for transplanting trees.

The redevelopment project has also triggered a war of words between the major political parties.

Earlier in the day, the ruling AAP in the city blamed Congress for the project, claiming that it was conceived during the previous Manmohan Singh government at the Centre.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken "betrayed" party chief Rahul Gandhi by maintaining silence over the project, Bharadwaj alleged.

Gandhi earlier in the day hit out at the BJP and the AAP over felling of trees in the national capital for the project.

Taking to Twitter, he said even children know the importance of trees in life and urged people to stand by the Congress against it.

In Delhi, the BJP with AAP's approval has hacked down thousands of trees in the past 4 years for development. Even children know that trees are critical to our survival and difficult to replace. Stand with the Congress and together let's fight this madness, he tweeted.