Latest news with #DelhiPreservationofTreesAct
New Indian Express
a day ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Delhi government issues SOP for emergency pruning of trees and maintenance
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government's Environment Department has issued new guidelines under Section 33 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994, providing clarity on the enforcement of Section 8, which mandates prior permission from a Tree Officer before a tree can be felled, removed or disposed of. However, in cases of emergency where a tree poses an immediate threat to life, property, or traffic, exceptions will apply, allowing responsible agencies to act swiftly. The guidelines, aimed at enhancing safety and infrastructure, allow Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), land-owning agencies or any responsible entity to take immediate action without prior approval. However, they are required to report the action to the Tree Officer within 24 hours. The Department of Forest & Wildlife has also outlined specific situations where immediate tree removal or pruning may be necessary. These include instances where trees obstruct roads, bridges, drains, or sewer lines; threaten buildings or heritage structures; interfere with metro or railway infrastructure; or are dead, dried, or leaning dangerously, posing a risk of falling. In such cases, the concerned party must upload photographs from at least three different angles, geo-coordinates, and a justification for the action, along with post-action images, on the DPTA e-Forest portal. This process will allow Tree Officers to verify the action as compliant with the Act. Additionally, Tree Officers can independently take action if they observe similar threats during field inspections. Speaking on the matter, Delhi's Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, 'The Delhi government is committed to the safety and well-being of its people, while also preserving the city's green wealth.'
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi govt defines ‘emergency' tree removal norms, issues SOP
Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday issued a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) under Section 8 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994 — formally defining what qualifies as an 'emergency' in which trees may be pruned or felled without prior permission, and laying out compliance requirements to prevent misuse. The move, Sirsa said, seeks to enable swift action in genuine cases of public risk while creating a transparent system. However, environmental groups warned that the provision has historically been misused to justify indiscriminate tree removal under vague pretexts. To be sure, Section 8 of the DPTA mandates no tree shall be felled, removed, or disposed of without prior permission from the Tree Officer. However, it provides an exception for emergency cases – where a tree poses immediate danger to life, property, or such situations, residents' welfare associations (RWAs), land-owning agencies, individuals or civic agencies may act without prior approval, provided they report the action to the tree officer within 24 hours. Sirsa on Friday said the government had defined the 'exceptions', where immediate pruning or removal of tree may be warranted. 'For the first time, we have laid out clear parameters for what qualifies as an emergency — such as trees obstructing roads, bridges, drains, or sewer lines; damaging buildings or heritage structures; interfering with Metro or railway infrastructure; or those that are dead, dried, or leaning dangerously,' Sirsa said. In such circumstances, Sirsa said the agency concerned, RWA or individual may take immediate remedial action but must furnish evidence without delay. 'This must be reported within 24 hours by uploading photographs from at least three different angles, geo-coordinates, a written justification for the action, and post-action images on the DPTA e-Forest portal,' the minister said. He added that tree officers will treat such submissions as valid compliance under the law. 'They are also empowered to initiate action on their own if similar threats are observed during inspections or field visits.' While Section 8 is not new to the DPTA, this is the first time the government has formally codified its application through an SOP. Sirsa emphasised that the objective is to strike a balance between public safety and environmental responsibility. 'We are committed to protecting both — our people and our trees. These SOPs ensure that urgent action is not delayed in genuine emergencies, while creating a transparent and accountable system to prevent misuse. Any violation or attempt to exploit these provisions will invite strict legal consequences,' he said. Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari said that while the SOP may seem balanced on paper, Section 8 has long served as a loophole for indiscriminate pruning and felling. 'We've seen overhanging branches conveniently labelled as hazards. Once again, the emphasis is on removal rather than revival,' she said, urging the government to invest instead in tree ambulances and better care. 'Most trees in the city remain concretised and are still choking,' she added.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
‘RWAs, individuals can prune trees in emergency situations'
New Delhi: Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa shared a standard operating procedure allowing individuals, RWAs, and land-owning agencies to prune or fell trees in "emergency situations" under Section 8 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994 (DPTA). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sirsa clarified that while Section 8 of the DPTA generally prohibits the felling, removal, or disposal of trees without prior permission from the Tree Officer, it includes provisions for emergency situations where a tree poses an immediate threat to life, property, or traffic. In such cases, individuals or responsible agencies may take action after they report it to the Tree Officer within 24 hours. The forest dept has issued guidelines outlining circumstances that may warrant immediate pruning or removal. These include cases where trees are obstructing roads, bridges, drains, or sewer lines; damaging buildings or heritage structures; interfering with Metro or Railway infrastructure; or where trees are dried, dead, or leaning precariously, posing a risk of falling. In such instances, the concerned party must upload a report on the DPTA e-Forest portal within 24 hours, which must include photos from at least three angles, site geo-coordinates, justification for the action, and post-action images. These will be treated as valid compliance under the Act. Sirsa warned that any misuse under the emergency clause would attract strict legal action.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Land exemption given for tree felling at Delhi's Central Vista
The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi VK Saxena has granted a special exemption to a 5.037-hectare government construction site from area restrictions under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994. The move clears a procedural hurdle for the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to seek permission to transplant or fell 476 trees for two buildings that are part of the Common Central Secretariat (the sixth and seventh ones) at Maulana Azad Road , part of the Central Vista redevelopment project. The exemption was approved in an official gazette notification dated May 30 and published on Thursday. The exemption was granted under Section 29 of the DPTA by Saxena, allowing the Tree Officer (West Forest Division) to consider a pending application concerning the transplantation or felling of 476 trees within the project site. The application was submitted through the DPTA e-Forest portal by Kushagra Singh, Executive Engineer at the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The usual limit for considering applications under Section 9(3) of the Act is one hectare. Since the project spans over five hectares, the Tree Officer requested an exemption to process the application legally. Section 29 of the DPTA, 1994 gives the power to the Government to effect such exemptions. 'The Tree Officer shall give his decision within sixty days from the date of receipt of the application: provided that no permission shall be granted to any person from the same area on more than two occasions during the same year subject to a maximum area of one hectare at a time,' the act states. To be sure, the notification clarifies that the exemption does not grant permission to cut or transplant any trees. It merely allows the Tree Officer to consider transplantation and felling on a larger plot. 'This notification for exemption under Section 29… shall not be considered as permission for transplantation/felling of trees under the DPTA, 1994,' the act adds. The next step will be an independent assessment of the application by the Tree Officer. This will include scrutiny under the DPTA, the Delhi Preservation of Trees Rules, 1996, relevant guidelines, and court orders. The Tree Officer must apply due diligence and aim to minimize the number of trees affected by the project. This construction site forms part of the broader Central Vista redevelopment initiative, aimed at reorganizing and modernizing central administrative infrastructure. Work is progressing on Common Central Secretariat (CCS) Buildings 6 and 7, following approval by the Heritage Conservation Committee in January and the issuance of construction bids in November 2024. These buildings, rising on the sites of the old Vice-President's House and Vigyan Bhawan Annexe respectively along Maulana Azad Road, will form the core of the new Defence Enclave. This enclave will consolidate offices for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the armed services, including the Department of Defence Production and the headquarters of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. A retired IFS and former official in Delhi's forest and wildlife department said the decision does not mean trees will be felled, but simply uses the exemption clause for a tree officer in Delhi to pick up the project case. 'The tree officer will still have to approve or reject the plan and decide eventually how many trees are felled or transplanted. Since the area was more than one hectare, the tree officer would not have been able to pick up the case. At the same time, it is likely this was not forest land. In order for the tree act to apply, one needs to use such an exemption to allow the tree officer to consider greater area — more than one hectare,' said the retired official, on condition of anonymity. The official added such exemptions have been used in the past as well, to allow projects over one hectare in area to be processed, including several road and highway projects in Delhi. 'This is the standard procedure to allow DPTA to apply to projects in non-forest land.' The LG had a day earlier granted a similar approval for the exemption of a 2.16 hectares patch for a flyover project at the Nand Nagri to Gagan Cinema junction in north-east Delhi. The project involves transplantation of 27 trees. Officials in Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) did not respond to HT's queries.
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Green light for flyover: LG approves transplantation of 27 trees for Delhi's Nand Nagri project
Green light for flyover: LG approves transplantation of 27 trees for Delhi's Nand Nagri project NEW DELHI: Clearing the last hurdle in the way of constructing a flyover, LG VK Saxena on Wednesday gave his approval for the felling and transplantation of 27 trees on a nearly 2.2-hectare piece of land in northeast Delhi's Nand Nagri. The flyover will address the long-pending issue of traffic jams in the area. The LG office, in a statement, said that the proposal had already been cleared by chief minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi govt's environment department, chief secretary and environment minister. Compensatory transplantation and afforestation will be undertaken as per the laid-down norms, it added. This decision was made under Section 29 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, and comes in response to a comprehensive proposal submitted by the department of forest and wildlife following a formal request from the Public Works Department for the transplantation and felling of 27 trees deemed necessary for the construction of the flyover along Mangal Pandey Marg. Officials said the flyover project encompassed a range of critical developments, including the construction of an elevated corridor, footpaths, comprehensive road work, road signage, electrical installations, drainage systems and rainwater harvesting facilities. All these components will be executed under an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) model, which will ensure efficiency and accountability. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo In compliance with the Supreme Court order of Dec 19, 2024 that exercising of powers under Section 29 of the DPTA, 1994 for felling and transplantation of trees must undergo thorough review and approval by the central empowered committee considering the environmental impact of large-scale infrastructure works, officials said the agency already approved the draft notification format for the project.
