Kejriwal govt clears way for construction of new Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters in Delhi

New Delhi [India], April 27 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday approved the proposal for the new Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters in the Delhi Cantt area.

Through this decision, the Delhi CM has paved the way for constructing the state-of-the-art IDS complex that will house a new officers' mess and camp.

Notably, the Union Ministry of Defence had proposed removing and transplanting 114 trees to clear its construction site. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cleared the path for the project by approving the said proposal.

According to the official statement, Kejriwal approved the proposal against the condition of the Ministry of Defence taking up the transplantation of 60 existing trees and plantation of 1,140 new saplings as per the plan,

The Ministry of Defence has proposed the construction of the Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters in Mehram Nagar. However, certain patches of trees were obstructing the construction of the site. Thus, the Ministry wrote to the Delhi government seeking approval for the removal and transplantation of 114 trees to clear the site.

Environment Minister Gopal Rai placed the proposal regarding the same in front of the Chief Minister. Subsequently, the Chief Minister granted his approval for the same.

Approving the proposal, the Chief Minister noted that it would be placed before Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to decide whether he would like to invoke a difference of opinion, if any.

The Delhi government has further noted that out of the 114 trees, the Ministry will transplant 60 trees, while it will take up the felling of only 54 trees. The transplantation will take place within the identified project site.

The Delhi Government has further asked the Ministry to not damage a single tree at the site other than those that have been identified and approved by the government. If any tree apart from the approved ones is damaged, it shall constitute an offence under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act 1994.

The Delhi government has further made it mandatory for the Ministry of Defence to plant ten times the trees, in lieu of the removal and transplantation. Thus, they will now plant 1,140 new tree saplings, besides transplanting 52 per cent of the trees at the site. These trees will be planted upon the identified land parcels within three months from the date on which the permission for shifting of the trees will be issued. The Defence Ministry will further be responsible for maintaining the trees for the next seven years, per the Delhi Government's guidelines.

As per the proposal approved by the Delhi Government, various species of trees that suit the soil and climate of Delhi will be planted in lieu of the removal and transplantation of the trees. These include Neem, Amaltas, Pipal, Pilkhan, Gular, Bargad, Desi Kikar and Arjun among other species. These trees will be planted as saplings of 6-8 feet in height on non-forest lands.

As for the trees that have to be transplanted, the Ministry has been asked to start the process immediately after fulfilling the requisite conditions and complete it within six months. The Defence Ministry will further submit a report on the same to the Tree Officer for supervision. The Delhi government has asked the Ministry to scrupulously abide by the Delhi Tree Transplantation Policy 2020 for the project and submit regular progress reports. They must ensure that for all transplanted trees that do not survive, indigenous tree species with 15 feet height and at least 6-inch diameter are planted in a 1:5 ratio, said the statement.

If any tree is found to have a nest of birds then it will not be allowed to be felled or transplanted till the birds abandon the tree. Further, the lops and tops of the trees shall be sent to the nearest crematorium for free by them within 90 days of its felling, added the statement.