The Hindu : New Delhi News : DDA bulldozes green strip

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Friday, Dec 08, 2006
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New Delhi

New Delhi

DDA bulldozes green strip

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Though on the one hand the Delhi Development Authority wants schools to adopt parks and road dividers for beautifying the Capital, on Thursday it used a bulldozer to ruin a green that had been beautifully maintained by Delhi Public School, Rohini outside its boundary wall.

Lamenting the loss of the beautiful stretch of landscaped green that had a large number of exotic plants, school Principal Rita Sen said the DDA action was unwarranted.

"There was no notice issued by them and this morning a bulldozer was sent by the authority to uproot the green stretch running along the front boundary wall and the fence that protected it."

Ms. Sen said a junior DDA official had come three months ago to say that the fence should be removed as it was an encroachment.

"We told them that it had been put only to protect the plants from stray animals. The matter appeared to end there as a senior official had assured that he would look into it."

But then on Thursday a bulldozer was sent by DDA to devastate the green that had existed for the past five years. The school had recently won the coveted Green School Award instituted by Centre for Science and Environment.

"We had stood 10th among 1,400 schools of which 20 had been awarded for environment protection and conservation."

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