Tree felling for any devp activity has to kept to minimum: Union Environment secy

Uprooting of trees for any development activity has to "kept to the minimum", Union Environment Secretary C K Mishra said today.

The Centre had last month said that it would be cutting over 14,000 trees for building more than 25,000 flats for government employees in seven colonies of south Delhi.

The proposal attracted heavy criticism from green activists, politicians and citizens and the matter later reached the Delhi High Court, which directed the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) to not cut any more trees in the national capital till July 4.

During a panel discussion here on saving the environment, Mishra, to a question on the current scenario of tree felling in the national capital for several redevelopment projects, said, "Uprooting of trees for any development activity has to kept to the minimum and we have taken this up with the Delhi government as well."