Centre's Plan To Chop 17,000 Trees Has Delhi Seething, Minister Trolled

The central government's plan to cut around 17,000 trees in Delhi has run into a huge protest by people of Delhi, who have rubbished the government's plan to plant an equal number of saplings.

Saplings, they argue, cannot replace fully grown trees for years and the plan, they say, is a no-no for a city that's one of the most-polluted in the world.

A huge rally was held today in posh south Delhi -- an area that has the highest levels of pollution and stands to lose the most number of trees. At least 11,000 of the 17,000 trees will be cut down from Sarojini Nagar to make way for government flats, offices and commercial space. Sources, however, say at least 15 per cent of these flats will be for sale and the focus of the redevelopment is on commercial space.

On Twitter, union minister Hardeep Puri got massively trolled after he tried to explain the government's stand and gave an irked response when a user questioned him. "I am a little surprised at the distortion around our city's green cover," the minister had tweeted and then went on to explain the afforestation plans for Delhi.

An user, however, questioned, "Why didn't you consider to make accommodations in Dwarka or Rohini or outer Delhi minister Hardeep S Puri-ji? Don't you think this project of yours is lethal & unreasonable?"

The minister responded:

Be careful with your tone. Just because I am a public servant, you cannot take the liberty of being offensive. All this predates me. The decision taken will ensure that at no point of time will there be even one less tree in the area. Read r press release, if you have interest.

- Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) June 23, 2018

A protest was called under the "Delhi Trees SOS" campaign.