Capital Greening

The Delhi government has notified the Tree Transplantation Policy 2020, the first of its kind in the country. Will it work?

- Shaheen Parween

IN order to compensate the loss of greenery in the national capital due to development activities, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has notified the Tree Transplantation Policy 2020 according to which a minimum of 80 percent of the trees affected by development activities shall be required to be transplanted. Construction agencies have been directed to take adequate measures at the new site to ensure at least 80 percent of the transplanted trees survive after a year.

The policy approved by the government in October 2020 was put in the public domain in February last year, with preservation and transplantation of trees as its core objectives. The government had invited comments and suggestions from the public until April 2019.

The policy further states that when on-site preservation of trees is not possible, scientific transplantation of all the affected trees shall be the new norm instead of felling them. Further, in the present norm of carrying out compensatory plantation, 10 saplings will have to be planted for every tree cut for development activities. Further, to ensure maximum chances of survival of saplings planted through compensatory plantation, it will be mandatory for all saplings to be minimum eight feet in height and to be geo-tagged.

Exemptions from carrying out tree plantation have been granted to private organisations or individuals requiring 10 or less trees to be felled and project specific exemption shall be granted in exceptional cases by the tree authority established under DPTA and for reasons to be recorded in writing.