43% trees transplanted for Central Vista project died, says government

About 43% of the trees transplanted to make way for the Central Vista project have died, the Union government told Parliament on Thursday.

The project, which started in 2019, is aimed at redeveloping a stretch of central Delhi. So far, the new Parliament building, the vice president’s residence, the central secretariat and the new Prime Minister’s Office have been completed.

Critics have described the plan a “vanity project” of the Bharatiya Janata Party government.

On Thursday, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu told the Lok Sabha that 3,609 trees had been transplanted for the project and 1,545 of them had perished.

Of the 3,609 trees transplanted, 1,734 were from the site of the central secretariat, 402 from that of the new Parliament building, 390 from the vice president’s enclave and 143 from the new Prime Minister’s Office and residence.

The Union minister said that 24,450 trees had been planted at the NTPC Eco Park in Delhi’s Badarpur area and 1,730 trees in Ghitorni to compensate for the removal of the trees as per legal requirements.

Sahu also said that Rs 5.2 crore had been spent on transplanting the trees and the compensatory plantations between 2023-’24 and 2025-’26.

The data was provided by Sahu while replying to a question by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra.

What are the projects?

The Central Vista project started in 2019 includes the construction of a new Parliament building, new official residences of the vice president and the prime minister, the new prime minister’s office and 10 government office buildings known as the Kartavya Bhavans.

The new structures are being built at the site of existing government offices and buildings after demolishing them. Work on the prime minister’s new residence and the remaining seven secretariat buildings is underway.

The plan also includes converting the North Block and South Block offices into a new national museum.