New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) The Delhi government has granted permission to transplant and cut more than 6,600 trees in the capital for the construction of Urban Extension Road (UER)-II in five packages.

According to a notification issued by the Environment Department on Monday, 4,365 trees will be transplanted, and 2,314 cut for the project by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

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The project at its completion will intersect three highways across the north-west-south periphery of the national capital.

The five stretches covered under the project are NH-I intersection to Karala-Kanjhawala road; Karala-Kanjhawala road to Nangloi-Najafgarh road; Nangloi-Najafgarh Road to Sector-24, Dwarka; Spur to Sonipat bypass, and Spur to Bahadurgarh bypass.

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The Delhi government has earmarked an area of 36.45 hectares for construction of (UER)-II in five packages.

The NHAI has been asked to make an advance deposit of Rs 38.07 crore as security deposit to the Deputy Conservator of Forests (West) for carrying out compensatory plantation and maintaining it for seven years.

The NHAI has been directed to plant 66,790 saplings of Neem, Amaltas, Peepal, Pilkhan, Gular, Bargad, Sheesham, Arjun and other native species at Aravali Biodiversity Park, Tughlakabad Biodiversity Park, West Delhi Biodiversity Park, Northern Ridge Biodiversity Park and the Yamuna floodplains.

The transplantation of 4,365 trees will be done by NHAI "within the project site at vacant area UER-II (Package-I to V) along the road proposed to be constructed with their own funds", the notification read.

Last December, the Delhi government had notified the Tree Transplantation Policy under which the agencies concerned are required to transplant a minimum of 80 per cent of the trees affected by their development works.

Experts have heavily criticized the policy, arguing that survival rate of transplanted trees is very poor. They say most native and old trees cannot survive translocation.

According to the policy, ten saplings are to be planted for each tree transplanted or felled, and the Department of Forests and Wildlife will maintain a record of applications approved for tree felling on its website.

Invasive exotic tree species such as Leucaena Leucocephala, Eucalyptus Globulus and Prosopis Juliflora (Vilayati kikar) are not considered for transplantation and are excluded.

The applicant is required to select one of the empanelled agencies for carrying out tree transplantation work. The agency has to ensure that all trees transplanted are geo-tagged.

"The benchmark tree survival rate at the end of one year of tree transplantation is 80 per cent. The final payment of the technical agency will be linked to the tree survival rate achieved with a provision for a penalty for tree survival rate below the benchmark rate," the policy says.

For each transplanted tree that does not survive, five trees of indigenous species with 15 feet height and at least 6 inch diameter will have to be planted.

In projects where 100 or more trees have been transplanted, a social audit will be carried out at the end of one year of tree transplantation to establish the tree survival rate and the completion certificate will be jointly signed by the Tree Officer concerned.

The Tree Authority of Delhi is the apex body responsible for regular monitoring of the implementation of the prescribed procedure for tree transplantation.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)