NHAI accuses green activists of malafide intentions Staff Reporter : National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on Saturday claimed that statements of some environment activists of the city about felling of 40000 trees for the construction of Inter Modal Station (IMS) at Ajni were sheerly speculative and baseless. According to NHAI press release the claims and the reports are malicious to damage the process of development of Nagpur. NHAI stated “There is no estimation as yet about relocation of trees or any other infrastructure for any type of future plans. Considering the Phase-I only 4930 trees are proposed to be transplanted.” It is pertinent to note that this figure of 4930 trees for the Phase-I has been derived after a survey by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) authorities where there is no scope for any vague or rough estimation by environmentalists stated the press release. It also stated “Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has clearly instructed that 5000 trees should be translocated and 25000 more trees would be planted in the municipal area itself for the development of Phase-I.” In view of this fact and all the documents that are part of public domain and thus being accessed by environmentalists the wild claims of 40000 to 70000 trees to be cut are malicious and nothing more than the imagination as of now to create an anti-development atmosphere by some unscrupulous elements NHAI stated in the release. “Initially the number of affected trees was 6953 but after taking conscious decision by the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in a meeting on January 31 last it was decided to relocate rehabilitation facilities to old CONCOR area thereby reducing the number of affected trees to 4930 thus saving 2023 trees” stated NHAI. The total number of 4930 trees is inclusive of 1.048 Subabul and Babul trees which have no biodiversity value the press release stated. It also stated “Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Railway Ministry are trying hard for this project and no private party is getting affected by it.” The release claimed 44.4 acres of land being handed over to NHAI by Railways for the Phase-I of IMS project and every process related to this has been transparent. “Some elements with malafide intention are trying to mislead public through such speculations to delay the project” it stated.

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