New Delhi, 1 October 2022: Amid growing conflicts between Delhi LG Saxena and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, LG Saxena has once more written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal emphasising on the “unwarranted” delays in approving the removal and transfer of trees and adding that this has hindered about 15 important development projects in the city.
In the letter, he stated, “It has come to my attention that at least 15 proposals concerning the transplantation or felling of trees, which are necessary for the execution of the projects at various locations in the capital, are encountering difficulties because they lack clearances at the level of the concerned minister.”
In his meetings with Kejriwal, LG Saxena had brought up the issue of “undue delay in disposing of applications for grant of clearance for tree cutting/translocation in case of various projects of the CPWD, DMRC and Indian Railways” numerous times.”
He further continued that a waste of public funds is being caused by these unjustified delays and cost overruns in processing applications for authorization to relocate or transplant and the accountability also needs to be resolved.
“Additional delays in project completion are also delaying the delivery of urgently needed public utilities and services to Delhi residents. Project Management Agencies/Departments are forced to turn to the Hon’ble Courts for redress, which overstretched the Hon’ble Courts and resulted in time and energy loss at all levels,” he added.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) renovation, the Delhi Metro Phase IV projects, the new engineering block and academic complex at IIT Delhi, the CISF building in Saket, the construction of the road over bridge and road under the bridge by the MCD at Sultanpuri near Nangloi, the crucial Dwarka Expressway Phase II, and the UER-II at NH-34 in Delhi are among the projects that have reached a standstill, the letter claimed.
Additionally, the projects under the General Pool Residential Accommodations (GPRA) rehabilitation, according to the officials, have been waiting for approval since 2019. These include the projects at Sriniwaspuri that have been on hold since 2019, the two projects at Sarojini Nagar that have been on hold since 2021, and the one project that has been on hold since April 2022. Finally, the Delhi government stated in its response that it is “looking into the problem.”
