New Delhi   

Siri Fort residents seek court’s help to save their greens

NEW DELHI: The Siri Fort Road Residents’ Welfare Association has filed a petition in a court asking it to direct the authorities to stop destruction of the green areas of the Siri Fort natural forests and its surroundings in the name of construction of facilities for the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

According to Association general secretary Jaya Bhandari, there are only a handful of such similar patches acting as lungs of the city. “This area being one of the most significant green lungs of South Delhi is crucially located in the midst of some of the well known residential colonies like Neeti Bagh, Gulmohar Park, Anand Lok, Panchsheel Park, Panchsheel Enclave, Asiad Village, Sadiq Nagar, Greater Kailash, Hauz Khas, Uday Park and Mayfair Gardens. Residents vouch that the temperature of this area even in extreme summer months comes down by 4 degree to 6 degree Celsius due to the Siri Fort forest,” said Ms. Bhandari.

Pointing out that Siri Fort was also a Grade ‘A’ protected archaeological monument, Ms. Bhandari said: “Despite being fully aware of the extent of damage and destruction being caused to the Siri Fort wall, the Archaeological Survey of India has done little apart from lodging an FIR at the Hauz Khas police station. The Delhi Urban Arts Commission had also issued guidelines to ensure no damage is caused to the Siri Fort wall.”

Expressing concern over the construction of a single carriage flyover inside the forest, Ms. Bhandari said more than Rs.42 crore of public money would be spent. “The flyover is essentially being built for providing signal-free movement at only one point from the Joseph Broz Tito Marg to the Siri Fort Road near the stadium. It is hard to comprehend what the authorities would achieve by removing one traffic signal, on which traffic is sparse, at such heavy cost.”

Ms. Bhandari said it was feared that after completion of the Commonwealth Games, the huge constructed area would be commercially exploited causing inconvenience and harassment to the residents as also to schools and colleges around. “This is born out by the experience after the 1982 Asiad Games where the structures constructed for holding the Games were given to private contractors and event managers who are using them purely as banquet halls and restaurants.”

Ms. Bhandari said: “Currently the stretch of road is lined up with 250 beautiful amaltas trees. The widening of the road would not only destroy almost all these trees but also reduce the pavement.” There are a number of educational institutions including Gargi College, Kamla Nehru College, three Kendriya Vidyalayas, Blind School and two MCD schools in this area.

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

Stories in this Section

Mehrauli blast linked to mysterious blasts at year’s beginning
One killed
Illegal construction at Constitution Club unchecked
JNU may also have placement cell
Experts support anti-smoking law
Attacks on religious places flayed
Seminar on education
Siri Fort residents seek court’s help to save their greens
Tehbazari sites given
BJP councillors hail decision
Golden jubilee
Delhi Metro installs cooling plants
Dear vegetables
Anxious relatives camp outside trauma centre
Sharpshooter held
Man arrested
Inspector Sharma remembered
Another victim dies
Yatra concludes
French film producer files SLP
Clean it up
In the capital today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu