Anand Vihar flyover: Unable to cut trees on flyover; PWD to place safety measures

With the newly built Anand Vihar flyover already 10 months behind schedule, the Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to add safety measures for the two trees standing in the middle of carriageways in order to throw open the much-delayed project, instead of waiting for permission to cut down the trees.
The safety measures put in place to protect the trees (as well as prevent any accidents) will include a series of springboards, reflective markers, rumble strips just ahead of the trees, and cautionary signages for the safety of road users.
There are two trees – a larger neem (Azadirachta indica) tree and a smaller jamun tree (Syzygium cumini) – on the carriageway that is meant for commuters heading from Anand Vihar to the Apsara border. Permission from the Delhi Traffic Police will be obtained to open the carriageway despite the hindrance, agency officials said.
“The tree is located right at the corner of the road, near the median of two carriageways. We have been asked to submit drawings for seeking approval to make these safety arrangements. If traffic police grants permission, we can open the road with speed restrictions,” a PWD official said requesting anonymity.
Officials said flyover construction work is 98% complete with minor finishing touches pending. An inspection and review of the project was carried out last week on September 3 after which the decision to seek traffic police permission was taken.
HT had earlier reported about trail runs being carried out on one carriageway of the flyover on August 29.
A PWD official said that the ₹257-crore project was initiated in September 2022 and it was expected to be completed by December 2023.
“The project faced delays due to construction bans and relocation of utilities. With the tree-cutting permission pending from the forest department for over a year, the department decided to develop the remaining structure of the flyover around the trees,” the official explained.
As of now, the Neem tree has been barricaded by a large metal barrier and small hutment has been created near it. Several Delhi police barricades have been placed near the tree site as well. The smaller Jamun tree also has a barrier near it. The official added that the private contractor has been directed to ensure the safety and well-being of the trees till an NOC is received for their tree felling from the forest department.
How PWD ended up here
Planned in 2019, the Anand Vihar flyover project faced hurdles from the start – the commencement of the project was first delayed because of the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The foundation stone was finally laid in October 2022 by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel. It was initially expected to be completed by December 8, 2023.
Then came the other delays – construction bans, transfer of utilities and lack of tree-cutting permissions – pushing the project more than 10 months behind schedule now.
A PWD official said that it was later found out last year that the stretch had been classified as deemed forest by the forest department which fined the infrastructure agency. Earlier this year, the Delhi high court stayed the permissions for tree felling related to infrastructure projects.
With no permission in sight, the department decided to develop the flyover structure around the trees so that last remaining work can be completed when NOC is granted. A similar approach is being followed in the case of the Punjabi Bagh flyover.
A forest department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the tree-cutting permission has not been granted because of the court’s ban and offence case. “PWD had carried out tree cutting without permission due to which fine was imposed and court’s ban on tree cutting is also in place,” forest official added.
“Tree cutting permission for all infrastructure-related projects are pending after the courts put a stay on granting tree felling permissions earlier this year impacting projects such as Barapullah phase-3, Punjabi Bagh corridor, Nand Nagary flyover. For instance, Anand Vihar flyover stretch has been identified by the forest department as deemed forests and the permission for tree felling in deemed forest is even tougher,” official added requesting anonymity.
HT had reported on August 29 that PWD has begun trial runs on one carriageway of the Anand Vihar elevated corridor in east Delhi. The department estimates that 148,000 vehicles will pass through this flyover daily. Once fully operational, the six-lane 1.4km-long flyover between Anand Vihar and Apsara Border is expected to reduce the traffic load on the stretch and help commuters bypass traffic snarls at Ramprastha Colony, Vivek Vihar and Shreshth Vihar.