Delhi L-G clears procedural hurdle for JNU hostel project

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has cleared a procedural hurdle for Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) proposed hostel project by allowing its tree-felling request to be considered, even though the extent of felling is larger than normally permitted under law.

The JNU had sought permission to cut and transplant 46 trees on its Munirka campus to build a new hostel. The project is to come up over hectares, almost double the one-hectare limit that tree officers can handle under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.

Exercising his powers under Section 29 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), the Lt Governor issued a notification exempting JNU from this restriction so that its application could move forward.

The said section grants the government power to exempt any area or species of trees from all or any provisions of the Act in the public interest. This exemption clause has been invoked for major developmental projects.

Officials concerned stressed, however, that this did not mean permission had been granted for the felling. The proposal will still be examined separately by the tree officer, who must follow all rules, guidelines and court directions before any tree is axed or transplanted.

Earlier, on May 15, the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had also cleared the project to use 2.1 hectares of Ridge land for the hostel. It had permitted felling of 27 trees and transplantation of 19 others, subject to conditions such as compensatory plantation and payment to the Ridge Management Board.

University officials have argued that the hostel was urgently needed to meet accommodation shortages, while environmentalists have raised concerns about the ecological sensitivity of the Ridge.