Even as Delhi government gets ready for a ‘green’ Commonwealth Games, more than 20,000 trees and saplings are set to be axed for a new power sub-station to be built by the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) in Ghummanhera in the West Forest division.

Incidentally, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has announced that 14 new city forests will be ready by 2010. Forests in Ghummanhera are part of the Chief Minister’s ambitious plans.

The sub-station that has been cleared will built over three villages — Ghummanhera, Jainpur and Shikarpur. There are 18,000 saplings and 2,000 adult trees in the 75-acre area .

While the land belongs to the Gram Sabha of the area, the Forest department has been taking care of it for the last 17 years.

Two major plantation drives — one, in 2001-02 and the second in 2007-08, took place over the three villages, resulting in the plantation of 18,000 saplings.

In addition to this, there are 2,000 adult trees — capable of sequestering 400 tonnes of carbon each year — which will now make way for the sub-station.

Incidentally, the only carbon credit project that Delhi government has applied for has been for afforestation activities (in Bhatti mines).

These plantations form part of the old forests in the area which were supposed to be notified as protected forests. But an emergency clause was invoked for acquiring the land.

If trees are now cut down for the project, the compensatory forestation may not take place in the same area. An official city forest is set to come up in Shikarpur area, but land acquisition has not yet been completed.

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