Bad news for Gurugram: around 1,300 trees to face the axe soon

Among the wealthiest regions of the entire country in terms of green cover happens to the be the Delhi NCR. And in the Delhi NCR, we’ve got vibrant green areas where sprawling lush green spaces provide cover to a rather, dull one-sided corporate sheen such as Faridabad, Ghaziabad, capital city New Delhi and, last but not the least- Gurugram.

Whether you call it the classical name anointed to it, Gurgaon or paint the somewhat new-age mythological-meets-metropolitan signature Gurugram- there’s no denying the fact that this is an important industrious region for the whole of NCR. And it is laden with a mishmash of modern trappings one expects from a truly millennial city.

There’s no dearth in bars, restaurants & lounges, health spas and gymnasiums, universities and premier educational institutes and above all, a whole wealth of corporate establishment that’s such a harbinger of sustenance(and hope) for much of the country.

Yet- amid such a colourful background- there comes, every now and again, a news that takes the sheen off from all that’s right about Gurugram. When it’s the sheer lack of cross-regional connectivity with Delhi, Noida, Faridabad et cetera, then cases of accidents (and their rising frequency) hurt the commoner- whether a student, a conservative parent, a housewife or a buzzing entrepreneur.

But in the latest bit of news that’s perhaps left the whole of Gurugram grieving is that as many as 1,300 trees are going to be felled sometime soon in the city. It’s been confirmed that a whopping 1,300 trees are to face the axe in Gurugram in lieu of construction of an underpass and flyover in order to decongest the old Delhi road.

And what’s more, work in relation to the current ongoing project has already begun with the State Public Works Department (PWD) having sought permission to cut out the 1,300 trees earmarked for successful completion of the infrastructural project.

While on the one hand there is this excitement that traffic now will be regulated thanks to the brand-new construction of an underpass, as well as a flyover, on the other hand, one simply cannot rule out the grimace stemming from the falling of quite a large number of trees.

After all, by all counts, 1300 trees is quite a hefty number- and not a dainty figure by any stretch of the imagination. In case, you were wondering where is it exactly that the proposed underpass, flyover, in Gurugram is going to be constructed- then we got that covered for you.

Once the 1300 trees that currently stand in the way of construction are removed, work shall start immediately at the Atul Kataria Chowk in a bid to ease out the vehicular traffic that commonly clogs the movement to and fro Gurugram and New Delhi- two focal points of the NCR region.

On July 3, 2018- leading national daily Hindustan Times carried details in regards to the proposed project in Gurugram.

The department has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) through the state forest department seeking permission to cut the trees and start construction at the earliest.

The move comes on the heels of a row which has erupted over a housing project in south Delhi that actually requires the axing of 1300 trees in an effort to clear the way for homes for government employees besides a commercial complex.

The rather upsetting news in Gurugram comes within days of New Delhi’s revered Green tribunal putting a hold on a government-related project that would’ve required to cut down several trees in the heart (one of the key centres of the capital city) in lines with establishing a new government building and some government homes.

In the Gurugram project, however, the state department cannot start any work whatsoever, until and unless a clearance is given (a green signal) by the concerned body, i.e., the Ministry of Environment and Forests. That said, upon the falling of the said number of trees, there’s a concerted plan to have as many as 65,000 saplings being planted by the state forest department in order to compensate for the whirlwind cut down of the current trees.