Vikaspuri road: PWD to see if narrowing road can save trees

The National Green Tribunal today directed the Public Works Department to examine if trees can be saved by reducing at certain sections the width of the proposed four-lane surface road connected to the elevated corridor from Vikaspuri to Mukarba Chowk here.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar passed the order after the petitioner in the case, Aditya Prasad, contended that at certain stretches of the project, hundreds of trees can be saved by reducing the road width by half-a-metre.
The tribunal asked Prasad as well as a PWD executive engineer to visit tomorrow one such stretch of the project where reduction of road width by two feet will result in trees being saved, and submit a report by January 24, the next date of hearing.

Meanwhile, the bench allowed the work on construction of the ramp, connecting surface road to the elevated corridor, to be carried out along with that of the central verge.
During the hearing, the PWD informed the tribunal that in the stretch from Vikaspuri to Meera Bagh it intends to plant over 1500 trees as compensation for felling the existing 785, referring to which the NGT queried Prasad, "How do you say it is not protecting the environment vis-a-vis sustainable development?"
To this query, Prasad said this stretch is a critically polluted area according to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and cutting of the 785 trees to widen the road to build a fourth lane would adversely impact the environment.

He said that the over 1500 trees proposed to be planted as compensatory afforestation would require 20-30 years to grow up and benefit the environment.
The NGT was a hearing a plea challenging the clearance granted to cut over 1,400 trees along the entire stretch of the Vikaspuri-Mukarba Chowk elevated corridor on the Outer Ring Road.