Kejriwal approves removal of 78 trees for Vande Bharat train shed in Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approved a proposal to remove and transplant 78 trees for the construction of a new maintenance shed for Vande Bharat trains here, an official statement said on Monday.

The approval was given against the condition that the Railways will plant 780 new saplings, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in the statement.

The government received a proposal from the Railways for removing and transplanting 78 trees to clear the construction site. Kejriwal has approved the proposal in the national interest, it said.

The Railways has proposed to set up a train shed in Shakur Basti. However, certain patches of trees were obstructing the construction of the site, according to the statement.

It had written to the Environment and Forests Department of the Delhi government seeking approval for the removal of eight trees and transplantation of 70 trees to clear the site, the CMO added.

"The Railways critically need modern infrastructure. This approval will help the nation get better facilities. We are actively ensuring that modern developments do not adversely impact Delhi and are mandating 10x compensatory plantation for any tree that gets affected," the statement said.