Green clearance delays may push construction of new Delhi metro line to 2025

The Lajpat Nagar to Saket G Block corridor is being established to provide hassle-free connectivity to areas including Andrews Ganj, Greater Kailash 1, Chirag Dilli, Pushpa Bhawan, Pushp Vihar, Saket District Centre and Saket G Block.

Construction of  the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC’s)  new brown line, connecting Lajpat Nagar to Saket G block may not  start in late 2024 as planned as the DMRC is yet to obtain forest clearances and permission for cutting trees, multiple sources aware of the ongoing discussions told Moneycontrol.

Construction  of the new corridor, under phase 4, is expected to start in 2025 now.

"Work on the new metro line will start in the first half of 2025 as the detailed project report (DPR)  is delayed because getting forest clearances and permission to cut trees  is taking time," a senior DMRC official told Moneycontrol.

He added that the Delhi Forest Department has requested that the DPR be modified so that fewer trees may be chopped down in Hauz Khas forest and Jahanpanah city forest.

Another DMRC official told Moneycontrol that the new DPR will be ready by October once  the DMRC carries out the alignment work, including surveys and studies to examine the routes, connecting points, etc., after which the tender for construction will be issued.

"Tenders for the new Indraprastha to Inderlok metro line will be announced next month, but tenders for the Lajpat Nagar to Saket line will likely be announced by the end of the year," the second official said.

He added that while the connecting stations under the proposed brown line will not be modified, the DMRC will look to align the metro pillars in such a way that  fewer trees need to be chopped down.

A senior forest department official told Moneycontrol that following a judgment by a Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih in July 2024, all permissions for construction in city forests and felling of trees in Delhi has been put on hold.

"We have received a request from the DMRC to fell around 1,400 trees for the new Lajpat Nagar to Saket metro line. While we have not denied the request at present, all requests for felling trees in Delhi have been put on a hold following a Supreme Court order in July," the senior forest department official told Moneycontrol, requesting anonymity.

Emails sent to the DMRC and the Delhi Forest Department remained unanswered at the time of publishing.

On August 20, the SC indicated that it will issue contempt notices for even slightest non-compliance of conditions imposed by it while permitting the felling of trees in Delhi.

New DPR

The Lajpat Nagar to Saket corridor includes eight stations and is being established to provide hassle-free connectivity to areas like Andrews Ganj, Greater Kailash 1, Chirag Dilli, Pushpa Bhawan, Pushp Vihar, Saket district centre, and Saket G block. The corridor will provide interchange facilities to the yellow, magenta, pink and violet lines.

The new line will also connect to the upcoming Tughlaqabad–Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport terminal 1  metro line, and once both the lines are completed, the DMRC expects a significant reduction in congestion  on the roads to IGI airport, which further connects south Delhi to Gurugram and Manesar.

This extension’s alignment has changed multiple times over the years, and the most current one can be viewed over here.

The DPR for the Lajpat Nagar to Saket corridor has already been modified thrice since 2016 when the line was first proposed, and the DMRC is not keen on changing the positions of its metro stations  in the new DPR.

Per the current route of the Lajpat Nagar to Saket corridor, an elevated metro line will be constructed on Josip Broz Tito Marg along the Lala Lajpat Rai Road flyover. A part of Josip Broz Tito Marg passes through Hauz Khas forest, and the DMRC will need permission to carry out construction and fell trees in the area.

Similarly, beyond Chirag Delhi the proposed metro line will be along Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg which has the Jahanpanah city forest on one side, and the DMRC will also need permission to carry out construction and fell trees in this area.

Geotechnical studies for the Lajpat Nagar–Saket corridor were carried out by Cengrs Geotechnica Pvt Ltd between June 2017 and 2019. The design consultants for the project are AECOM Singapore, Tandon Consultants, and AECOM India Pvt Ltd.

In March 2024, the union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the DPR of two key lines of Delhi Metro (phase 4) at an estimated cost of Rs 8,399 crore.

These lines totalling 20.76 km include the 12.38 km Inderlok–Indraprastha extension of the operational green line (Mundka–Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh Marg), and the 8.39 km Lajpat Nagar–Saket line .

No chopping down trees

In June 2024, the SC had highlighted that the extreme heatwave conditions that affected the region were caused due to a loss in the green cover. The court ordered the DDA and the Delhi government to implement the recommendations of a three-member expert committee to restore the green cover of Delhi, which includes urgent measures to clear illegally constructed roads and plant new trees.

In July, the SC reprimanded the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and slapped a contempt case against its Chairman for the unauthorised felling of 1,100 trees in the Ridge forest area despite a ban on chopping down trees imposed by Delhi High Court (HC) in August 2023 . The court is also scrutinising the role of the Delhi government as well as the city’s Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, in ordering the felling without the necessary court permissions. Indeed, the court felt that the authorities were engaged in a cover-up and directed them to come up with a mechanism to monitor the illegal felling of trees.

The court also directed the Delhi government to develop a comprehensive plan for environmental compensation and outline the preventive measures it will take to curb unauthorised tree-felling in the future. It also directed the Delhi government to enhance the infrastructure of the Tree Authority and the Forest Department to better protect the city's green cover.

Subsequently, the court had mandated that public authorities seeking permission to cut trees for public projects must minimise the tree felling by re-examining project alignments. The court highlighted that article 51A of the Constitution underlines the duty of citizens to protect the environment and the right to a healthy environment.