Supreme Court panel approves tree felling, Barapullah Phase III flyover eyes completion in an year

New Delhi | September 9, 2025 05:15 AM IST

The work was supposed to be completed by 2017 but got stuck following a land acquisition problem (Archive)

Within the next one year, commuting between East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar and South Delhi’s AIIMS is expected to become smoother, with the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), set up by the Supreme Court, granting approval for felling, transplanting and pruning of 333 trees — the final hurdle in completing the Barapullah Phase III flyover project.

Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said on Monday that within next one year, the corridor will be ready for public use. “Ever since I assumed office, I have been relentlessly pursuing this so that Delhi can get the mobility relief it deserves… We have re-engineered pier placements, expanded spans, and used pruning and transplantation to protect as many trees as possible,” he added.

The project, under construction since 2015, has missed several deadlines due to one or another reason, including land acquisition issues, rise of Yamuna water table and lack of tree felling permission. It has also seen significant cost overruns – the initial estimated cost of Rs 964 has now reached around Rs 1,330 crore.

The work was supposed to be completed by 2017 but got stuck following a land acquisition problem. After the intervention of LG V-K Saxena in 2023, PWD acquired some portion of the land. However, the project remained stalled as the department still needed 1,169 sq m of land. While the land acquisition issue was resolved last year, the project was again delayed due to pending approval from CEC for felling trees, said officials.

“Finally, all hurdles have now been cleared. The department has already completed 90% of the work. It will take about six months to complete the project. However, the tree felling process will be delayed slightly as the Yamuna water level is high at present. Once the level comes down, the process will begin,” a senior official said.

“There are a total 333 trees, of which 155 are under central forest division and 178 under south forest division. While 85 trees will be felled, 87 will be transplanted and 161 trees require light pruning and trimming,” the official added.

Officials said that PWD conducted a joint survey with the Forest department – inspecting tree geo-location, species, and girth data – and revised plans to retain as many trees as possible through pruning and selective transplantation.

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The 3.5-km-long stretch under Phase III – an extension of already operational Barapullah Phase I and II – will start from Mayur Vihar and merge with the existing flyover at Sarai Kale Khan. The corridor is expected to decongest traffic along National Highway 24, DND flyway, and Ring Road, while enhancing access to a multi-modal transit hub that includes NCRTC, Railways, ISBT, DMRC, and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. It is also estimated to cut CO₂ emissions by 2 tonnes per day, equivalent to absorption by nearly 30,000 trees, said officials.

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