Delhi has cleared a procedural hurdle for one of its key Metro expansion projects by granting a statutory exemption that allows officials to examine a proposal involving the transplantation or felling of 877 trees for the proposed Inderlok to Indraprastha corridor under Phase-IV of the Delhi Metro.
The exemption, notified by the Department of Forests and Wildlife with the approval of Delhi L-G Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has been issued under Section 29 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees (DPT) Act, 1994. It enables the competent tree officer to process an application submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which otherwise could not have been taken up because the land involved exceeds the one hectare limit prescribed under Section 9(3) of the Act.
According to the notification, the DMRC submitted its proposal through the Delhi e-forest portal seeking permission for the transplantation or felling of trees required for construction of the Inderlok to Indraprastha Metro corridor. The proposal covers 5.655 hectares, prompting the government to invoke its powers under Section 29 to relax the procedural restriction in public interest.
Officials have clarified that the notification does not grant permission to remove or transplant any tree. Instead, it only permits the statutory appraisal of the proposal, which could not have proceeded under the existing one hectare ceiling.
The notification makes it clear that the proposal will continue to be examined independently under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, Delhi Preservation of Trees Rules, 1996, applicable government guidelines and judicial directions before any final decision is taken.
It also directs the tree officer of the Central Forest Division to scrutinise the proposal on its merits and make every effort to minimise the number of trees proposed for felling or transplantation while processing the application in accordance with law.
The exemption applies only to the Inderlok to Indraprastha corridor under Delhi Metro Phase IV and is restricted to the identified 5.655 hectare project area.
