The Hindu : New Delhi News : Battle for Nehru Place greens set to hot up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Battle for Nehru Place greens set to hot up

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI, APRIL 19. Another round of battle over the Nehru Place Greens here is on the cards with the Delhi Development Authority joining issue with the Paharpur Business Centre (PBC). While the PBC has charged the DDA with not maintaining the trees in the green area thus leading to several of them dying for lack of water, the DDA has said this charge was only a "stunt'' to get control of the prime property.

The Director (Horticulture) of DDA, in charge of South Zone, B.D. Ram, said the company had no locus standi to interfere in the functioning of the Authority which had got back possession of the sprawling green area in February 2003. As for the PBC plan to celebrate Earth Day on April 22 by organising a programme to water the trees in the green area, he said, officially no permission has been granted to the company for this.

"They only intend to grab the land or why else are they interested in it now?'' said the official, adding that he had taken the report from his Joint Director, Y.P. Singh, on the issue and found that the trees in the green area were not suffering from any kind of neglect.

However, the Paharpur Business Centre which had nurtured the green area in the heart of Nehru Place for nearly a decade after it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for maintaining the park, thinks otherwise. Its chief executive officer, Kamal Meattle, says: "DDA had plans to take over the land, cut the trees and use it for night bazaars and parking. However, it has been unsuccessful in cutting the trees due to the intervention of the Delhi High Court and support from the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi and the Chief Minister besides many others.''

Still, he said, some of the trees have died for want of water and caring. Noting that the Horticulture department of DDA has not been maintaining the trees properly for reasons best known to them, he said, PBC will be inviting eminent people, including ambassadors, ministers, bureaucrats and citizens, besides children who had planted trees at Nehru Place Greens, to water the trees on Earth Day to show their care and concern for environment.

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