Approximately 7,575 trees have been cut down along a nearly 16-kilometre stretch of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, and over 1.76 lakh trees are slated to be planted as compensation, as stated by the National Highways Authority of India.
Out of the felled trees on the Ganeshpur-Dehradun section of the project, 4,983 were in Uttarakhand, while 2,592 were in Uttar Pradesh, according to information provided by the NHAI in response to an inquiry filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Noida-based social activist Amit Gupta.
Amit Gupta also sought information regarding the status of replantation and survival of trees on the 15.8-kilometre section of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. In response, Pankaj Kumar Mourya, the public information officer-cum-project director, stated that 155 trees have been translocated in Uttar Pradesh, with 121 of them surviving the process.
Also Read: India braces for extreme heatwave between April-June, to coincide with Lok Sabha Elections
As per the compensatory afforestation scheme submitted by the forest departments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, 1,76,050 trees are to be planted by them to offset the loss of the 7,575 felled trees, as informed by the NHAI.
"Total Rs 3,60,69,780 have been paid against compensatory afforestation to forest departments of UP and Uttarakhand by the NHAI," it added.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), construction is underway for the 212 km-long six-lane Delhi-Dehradun Greenfield Access Controlled Expressway, which is projected to cost Rs 12,000 crore.
The expressway, anticipated to reduce travel time between Delhi and Dehradun to two-and-a-half hours, is scheduled to open to the public next year.
Follow us
