Protest against tree felling in Sarojini Nagar today

NEW DELHI: To save about more than 16,500 fully grown trees from being chopped down in the national Capital, locals and social organisations will come together to organise a campaign on Sunday on the lines of 'Chipko' movement to save the trees from being felled.

According to official sources, while 3,000 trees have already been cut down since last year in various areas of south Delhi, the central government-run construction company NBCC Ltd will chop an additional 16,500 trees in Sarojini Nagar and Nauroji Nagar areas for construction of flats for central government employees. Opposing this project, locals and activists have decided to initiate a 'Chipko movement'-type protest in Delhi and hug the trees at 4.30 pm on Sunday in Sarojini Nagar to express their resentment.

Environmental activists feel that the Capitals is already too polluted and the felling of over 16,500 trees – that too in areas with the best of Delhi's green cover to construct a colony and market area – is a very dangerous decision.

On Sunday's protests, numerous activists and locals will hug several trees in south Delhi to protest the unregulated felling of trees for construction purposes.

Meanwhile, the Forest department of the Delhi government has already cleared the project, an official told reporters, while a senior official of the Union Environment Ministry said the central government has nothing to do with the tree chopping, as the permission to do so falls under the Delhi government.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government and the Forest Ministry have been trading blame over the approval to the felling of trees.

Officials of the NBCC, which comes under the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, however clarified that there will be more plantation to compensate for the trees being cut down.