Central Vista project: Executive enclave will remove too many trees, says Panel

New Delhi, Feb 17: The Delhi State-level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) has observed that the CPWD's proposal to construct an executive enclave as part of the Central Vista redevelopment plan will remove an "excessively high proportion" of trees, according to an official document.

The executive enclave will house new Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Cabinet Secretariat, India House and National Security Council Secretariat. The minutes of the SEAC meeting dated January 31 stated that the total project cost is Rs 1,381 crore.

The SEAC has asked the CPWD, the nodal body of the Central Vista redevelopment project, to revise its plans to enhance the "requisite number of tree plantations".

According to the minutes of the meeting, the plan has also asked the CPWD to furnish a complete plan for transplantation of trees with detail of the proposal for the survival of transplanted trees along with the layout indicating the location of trees with reasons/justification for transplanting the trees within the project sites. The minutes of the meeting said the panel has sought revised plan for environment clearance and additional information from the CPWD.

The CPWD informed the panel of SEAC that 784 trees are present at the site and out of which 154 are proposed to be retained and 630 trees are proposed to be transplanted. Noting that around 80 percent of the existing trees are proposed to be removed, the SEAC panel said it is an "excessively high proportion".

SEAC asked the CPWD to furnish details regarding "an existing tree inventory with species and girth of each tree may be prepared, along with a baseline gees area map, showing all trees - - (a) trees to be retained, (b) trees to be removed due to building ground coverage, (c) and trees to be removed due to additional paved area.

The attempt may be made to increase the trees to be retained". Meanwhile, out of six construction firms which had submitted technical bids to construct the executive enclave, two firms --- M/s Shapoorji Pallonji and Co. Pvt. Ltd and M/s PSP Projects Ltd --- could not qualify recently for submission of financial bids, CPWD's official document shows. Larsen & Toubro, TATA Projects Ltd, NCC Ltd and Ahluwalia Contracts (lndia) Ltd will have to submit financial bids to be opened next month.

In October last year, Larsen & Toubro Limited had been awarded the contract for the construction and maintenance of the first three buildings of the Common Central Secretariat. Tata Projects Limited is constructing a new parliament building while Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Limited has executed the redevelopment work of the Central Vista Avenue stretching from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate under the Central Vista redevelopment project.

The redevelopment of the Central Vista, the nation' power corridor, envisages a new parliament building, a common central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate, new office and residence of the prime minister, and a new vice-president enclave.