Over 5,100 trees to be felled in Delhi for Saharanpur highway construction

More than 5,100 trees will be felled in Delhi for the construction of the six-lane Delhi-Saharanpur highway by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), according to official documents.

A total of 9.58 hectares of deemed forest land in Delhi having 5,104 trees has been diverted for the construction of the 14.75-kilometre stretch of the highway.

The tree species include Sheesham, Sahtut, Peepal, Champa, Ashok, Subabul, Neem, Eucalyptus, Kikar, Ber, Jamun and Gular.

According to the Deputy Conservator of Forest (Central), all the 5,104 trees on the deemed forest land will be felled and compensatory afforestation will be raised at NTPC Eco Park, Badarpur at a cost of Rs 8.66 crore.

The Delhi portion of the Delhi-Saharanpur highway extends from the Akshardham NH-9 junction to the city's border with Uttar Pradesh.

The project is part of the first phase of Bharatmala Pariyojana, the second-largest highway construction programme in the country under which 50,000 km of roads will be constructed.

According to the site inspection report of the DCF, no violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 was reported.

Also, the forest patch is not a part of a national park, a wildlife sanctuary, a biosphere reserve, a tiger reserve, an elephant reserve or a wildlife migration corridor, and also does not fall within an eco-sensitive zone.

However, the Okhla Bird Sanctuary is located at a distance of 5.45 km from the site.