NOIDA: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Noida Authority to plant 1,500 saplings against 100 trees that had to be felled to construct a parking lot for an upcoming private hospital owned by Union minister and local MP Mahesh Sharma in Sector 71.Environmentalists had raised objections against the site where the parking lot is supposed to come up, saying it falls in a green belt as marked in the Noida Masterplan of 2017. Though the main hospital building is being constructed on land marked for utility and facility, at least 100 fully grown trees had to be felled to make way for the parking lot.Though two saplings had been planted against each tree that had to be cut — the cost of which was borne by the hospital — the NGT found that none of the plants eventually survived. Though the hospital had denied that it adversely affected the environment, the NGT bench on Friday found “disturbances” and ordered the Noida Authority to plant saplings 15 times the number of trees felled. The cost will have to be borne by the hospital.The hospital is a branch of Kailash Healthcare chain of hospitals, which is owned by the minister of state for environment, forests and climate change , Mahesh Sharma. It has branches in Noida Sector 27, Jewar and Greater Noida . This is the fourth branch of the chain in Gautam Budh Nagar.“This is not the only example. The Authority has at several places compromised green areas for development work. While Noida braves major pollution issues and depleting ground water, such development work poses high risk to the environment,” environmentalist Vikrant Tongad, an applicant to the NGT in the case, said.The green court has asked the Noida Authority to plant 1,500 trees of endemic variety. The hospital has been directed to create three pits for rain water harvesting in way of compensating for the erosion of groundwater caused by the construction of the parking lot. The court has, however, ruled out an appeal to demolish the parking lot. The plantation drive would be supervised by the forest department of Gautam Budh Nagar and the Authority would have to file a report to the principal chief conservator of forests.Repeated calls to minister Sharma for a reaction went unanswered. The Kailash Hospital authorities also declined comment on the order.Asked about the NGT order, Rajeev Tyagi, general manager (projects) at the Noida Authority said: “We will comply with the order of the NGT and with any instruction that has been directed toward us.”

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