Environment lover SK Malik, a resident of Youngsters Apartments in Sector 6, Dwarka, speaks out against the Centre's residential redevelopment plan in South Delhi.
Trees have great environmental value, and they shouldn’t be cut down. Housing and Urban Development Ministry is redeveloping Sarojni Nagar government residential colony, spread over 240 acres of land, as per Delhi Master Plan 2021 (MPD 2021).
Sarojni Nagar was developed in 1950 and is only 68-years-old. To carry out this redevelopment, the ministry gave out the contract to NBCC — it is to demolish existing flats and cut 11,000 full-grown trees from the current number of 13,128.
The NBCC is to reconstruct 10, 655 residential flats and commercial towers on 42 acres of land at the cost of Rs 11, 660 crores. The cost of construction will be recovered by selling commercial property in residential area.
My question to the government: “Rashtrapati Bhawan, too, is a 106-years-old building, spread over 320 acres of land. Will it be redeveloped as well as per 2021 Master Plan -- will they break down this building too? The whole thing is a joke!”
The government accords zero environmental value to the 13, 128 full-grown trees in the area, hence it doesn't mind cutting them down for this wishful project. They must reconsider the environmental costs and redesign the project to save the trees.
