IIT Delhi: 157 trees to be transplanted, campus to get two new blocks

A proposal for the construction of a mini academic block and an Engineering block at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi was approved by the Government of Delhi. For this construction project, 157 trees will be transplanted, said the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, as stated in a PTI report.

The Chief Minister said that 1,570 new trees will be planted on the IIT campus in Delhi where research spaces and new labs will come up under the newly announced project. The proposed blocks will benefit thousands of students and faculty members of IIT Delhi. "In a major decision, we have approved a proposal for the construction of a new Mini Academic Block and a new Engineering Block at IIT Delhi. 157 trees will be removed and transplanted for the project, but 1,570 new trees will be planted inside the campus,” Kejriwal tweeted, as reported by PTI. 

The report stated that according to a statement issued by the Delhi Government, IIT Delhi has sent a proposal to remove and transplant 157 trees for cleaning its construction site. The CM approved the project on the condition that the institution will plant 1,570 trees inside the campus, said the statement. Kejriwal accorded his approval to speed up the work by clearing the patch in the interest of students and researchers and it is important to have a modern infrastructure on the IIT campus, said the statement, as reported by PTI.

The statement also said that the approval will largely help thousands of students and faculty members of the institute in their day-to-day activities and give them access to better facilities, stated the PTI report. "Approving the proposal, the Delhi government has noted that out of the 157 trees, IIT will transplant 82 trees, while it will take up the felling of only 75 trees. The transplantation will take place within the identified project site,” the statement said, as reported by PTI. Further, the lops and tops of the trees shall be sent to the nearest crematorium for free by IIT-D within 90 days of its felling, the statement said.

The Delhi Government has further instructed the IIT not to damage a single tree at the construction site other than the trees that have been identified and approved by the government. If any tree apart from the 157 trees is damaged, that will be considered an offense under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act 1994, said the statement. Furthermore, the Delhi government has made it mandatory for the campus to plant 10 times the trees in lieu of the removal and transplantation, stated the report. 

Now, IIT-D will plant 1,570 trees on the campus to maintain the ecological balance and upon the identified land parcels within three months from the date on which the permission for shifting of the trees will be issued. IIT Delhi will also take responsibility for these trees for the next six or seven years as per the guidelines of the Delhi government. 

Various species of trees that include Neem, Amaltas, Pipal, Pilkhan, Gular, Bargad, Mango and Sheesham, among other species, will be planted on the campus according to the statement by the Delhi government. IIT-D has been instructed to start the process immediately after fulfilling the requisite conditions and complete it within six months, as reported by PTI.