New Delhi   

Delhi Metro to maintain Ridge greens

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

No commercial activity at new station site

NEW DELHI: Having received the green signal from the Supreme Court for its plans to set up a metro rail station near the Capital's Ridge area, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has assured that it will take care to maintain the green cover in the area and also ensure that no commercial activity is permitted at the site.

"There will be no commercial activity allowed at the Ridge. We are trying to design and construct the station in a way that would be least harmful to the environment," says DMRC Director (Projects and Planning) C.B.K. Rao.

According to him, efforts are being made to fell fewer trees wherever it is possible: "In the Ridge area where we have just 5.65 hectares of land, we will cut fewer trees. We have also paid an additional Rs. 12.1 crore to the Forest Department for densification of the Ridge. It was a precondition that we will have to pay 5 per cent of the cost of total work in the area for the densification."

In the wake of allegations that it has sacrificed the city's green cover, DMRC has clarified that it has volunteered to plant a tree in the surrounding area for every tree felled in addition to maintaining the required ratio of planting ten trees for every tree that is cut.

Denying charges made by non-government organisations recently that over 30,000 trees have been cut thus far, senior officials said DMRC has not stopped at the mandatory requirement but planted more trees to enhance the city's green cover.

"We are saddened by the allegations. DMRC is an environmentally conscious organisation and we have planted more trees than we were required to do," said Mr. Rao.

He said DMRC had already planted 145 trees in February near the Pragati Maidan metro station.

Elucidating the efforts made to augment the green cover, Mr. Rao said: "We are now planting trees that are seven to nine feet high as against the one-two feet high saplings planted earlier. This ensures a better survival rate."

"Along Race Course Road and Jor Bagh we managed to save an entire row of trees from felling. We have also decided not to cut trees in places that will be occupied temporarily by us and stations will also be designed to ensure that the least number of trees are felled."

Quoting figures that indicate DMRC's greening initiatives, he said: "During Phase I we were permitted to fell 11,776 trees, but we managed to save 1900."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

No great heights at the theatres this week
Campaigning reaches its peak in the Capital
Delhi Metro to maintain Ridge greens
Dyal Singh College teacher suspended for harassing colleague
CPI leaders canvass for party candidates
Adopt multi-year power tariff framework: Centre
Petition against Police Commissioner dismissed
BJP heavyweights to campaign
L-G's directions to DERC
Five arrested for running `betting rackets'
Up in arms
Pakistan yet to give visas to Indian cyclists
Briefly
In the Capital Today

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu