Central Vista's 43 per cent tree loss: nearly half of transplanted trees die

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Central Vista redevelopment project has recorded a significant loss of transplanted trees, with nearly 43 per cent failing to survive, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The Rs 20,000-crore Central Vista redevelopment project, launched in 2021 and designed by Ahmedabad-based architect Bimal Patel, involved the transplantation of 3,609 trees. Of these, 1,545 did not survive, according to the government’s response.

The project has drawn sustained criticism from environmentalists and Opposition parties since its inception. Critics flagged concerns over the loss of green public spaces, potential environmental degradation, and the absence of transparent environmental impact assessments.

Opposition parties, led by the Congress, had also questioned the project’s escalating cost from an initial estimate of Rs 13,450 crore to around Rs 20,000 crore, arguing that it was a “luxury” undertaking that should have been deferred during the Covid-19 pandemic to prioritise public welfare spending.

In a written reply to a question by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, minister of state for housing and urban affairs Tokhan Sahu said compensatory plantation efforts were carried out alongside transplantation.

“As many as 24,450 trees in NTPC Eco Park, Badarpur, and 1,730 trees in Ghitorni have been planted under compensatory plantation,” Sahu said, adding that Rs 5.29 crore has been spent on these activities over the past three financial years.

Among project sites, according to the government, the highest number of transplantations took place at the Common Central Secretariat (CCS) Buildings 1, 2 and 3 — now renamed as Kartavya Bhawans — where 1,734 trees were shifted. This was followed by 458 trees at CCS 6 and 7 sites, 402 at the new Parliament building site, and 390 at the Vice President’s Enclave.

Now in its final phase, the Central Vista project had earlier been slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic and a series of legal challenges over environmental and land-use clearances.

In December 2020, the Supreme had ordered a halt to construction and tree transplantation, noting that work had begun even as legal challenges were still pending. The apex court subsequently gave its approval to the project in January 2021.

The Central Vista is a 3.2-km ceremonial and administrative corridor in New Delhi, home to some of India’s most prominent landmarks, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, North and South Block, India Gate and the National Archives of India — most of which date back to the time of Delhi's inauguration as India's capital in 1911.

As part of its redevelopment, Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building or Sansad Bhavan on 28 May 2023. The four-storey, triangular structure has been designed to accommodate up to 1,272 members of Parliament, significantly expanding seating capacity. The inauguration ceremony also featured the installation of the historic sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber.