Army HQ to get new building, removal of 579 trees approved

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 2

The new Thal Sena Bhawan will come up soon in Delhi Cantonment after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's intervention.

Compensatory plantation

• The Delhi CM has approved the proposal with mandated compensatory plantation of 5,790 saplings around the site to maintain the ecological balance.

Through this decision, the CM has paved the way for the construction of the state-of-the-art Thal Sena Bhavan that will house the Indian Army's new headquarters.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday, granted his approval for the removal and transplantation of 579 trees to aid the construction of the new Indian Army headquarters at the Sena Bhavan project site.

Notably, the Union Ministry of Defence (MoD) had sent a proposal to remove and transplant 579 trees to clear its construction site. The CM has approved the proposal with mandated compensatory plantation of 5,790 saplings around the site to maintain the ecological balance. The MoD will further take the responsibility of maintaining the trees for the next seven years, as per the Delhi Government’s guidelines.

The Ministry of Defence had proposed the construction of the Thal Sena Bhavan in Delhi Cantt. However, certain patches of trees were obstructing the construction. Thus, the Defence Ministry wrote a letter to the Delhi Government seeking approval for removal and transplantation of 579 trees to clear the site. Thereafter, Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai placed the proposal regarding the same in front of the Chief Minister. Subsequently, the CM granted his approval for the same.

Approving the proposal, the Delhi Government has noted that out of the 579 trees, the Defence Ministry would transplant 476 trees while it will take up felling of 103 trees only. The transplantation will take place within the identified project site.

The Delhi Government has further asked the Defence Ministry not to damage a single tree at the site other than those that have been identified and approved by the government.

“If any tree apart from the approved ones is damaged, it shall constitute an offence under Delhi Preservation of Trees Act 1994,” said a Delhi Government official.

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