Highways rose, forests didn’t: NHAI flags mass tree shortfall in Delhi’s afforestation projects

In August 2024, the DDA informed NHAI that 151,452 trees had been planted on DDA land in lieu of trees cut for Dwarka Expressway. However, a joint site inspection found that only about half the trees were present, according to the NHAI report

For years, compensatory plantation has been the moral fig leaf of Delhi’s infrastructure expansion — trees felled for highways and projects are promised back, but the ground tells a different story. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in a meeting with Delhi government officials last week, flagged large-scale gaps in compensatory afforestation for two major projects, the Urban Extension Road-2 (UER-2) and the Dwarka Expressway.

A view of newly inaugurated Urban Extension Road-II near Alipur in New Delhi. The DDA was to carry out compensatory planation of 57,280 trees for this project.. However, during site inspection only 24,887 trees were found at the site. (HT Archive)

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was tasked with planting 64,080 trees for UER-2 and 153,990 for the Dwarka Expressway, for which the NHAI deposited ₹55.1 crore and ₹87.77 crore respectively with the agency, officials aware of the matter said.

According to a status report submitted at a meeting on January 10, NHAI said trees were missing in both cases and the issue had been repeatedly flagged at the highest levels; how despite large sums of public money being deposited, work related to more than 100,000 trees remains pending.

UER-2

Dubbed as the third Ring Road, the Urban Extension Road-2 (UER-2), along with the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway, was inaugurated on August 17, 2025, in Rohini.

UER-2 begins in north Delhi at NH-44 between Bankoli and Alipur, passes through the Bawana Industrial Area, Rohini, Mundka, Bakkarwala and Najafgarh, meets the Dwarka Expressway near the ICC and IGI Airport tunnel, and finally terminates at NH-48 near the Shiv Murti junction on the eastern side of IGI Airport.

NHAI report states that it had deposited ₹55.10 crore for compensatory plantation of 64,080 trees to DDA in 2021.

“DDA vide letter dated August 20, 2024, has reported compensatory planation of 57,280 trees. However, during site inspection only 24,887 trees were found at the site,” the report said.

NHAI said the matter was taken up at the chief secretary level by the NHAI chairman in February 2025 and also during a meeting held on June 4, 2025, with the Union road transport and highways minister, during which the “DDA had assured the completion of the plantation during the monsoon of 2025.”

“Another meeting was held under the chairmanship of Delhi CM on 12.12.2025, wherein the matter was discussed and accordingly, DDA was instructed to expedite the plantation,” the report said.

Dwarka Expressway

The Dwarka Expressway (NH-248BB), built as a 29-km alternative to NH-48 to ease congestion between Delhi and Gurugram, required compensatory plantation of 153,990 trees under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994. For this, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) deposited ₹87.77 crore with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in 2020.

In August 2024, the DDA informed NHAI that 151,452 trees had been planted on DDA land. However, a joint site inspection found that only about half the trees were present, according to the NHAI report.

The issue was raised with the chief secretary in February 2025 and later with the chief minister on December 12, following which the DDA was directed to expedite the work.

The matter had been flagged in earlier meetings as well. Documents accessed by HT show that the DDA last year claimed compensatory plantation for UER-2 was carried out at Kusumpur Pahadi, Tughlaqabad Biodiversity Park, Aravali Biodiversity Park and Kalindi Biodiversity Park.

The DDA also said the plantation at Kalindi Park was destroyed and the project was shifted to Tughlaqabad, where it claimed the work was completed. It further stated that its plantation sites had been inspected.

DDA did not respond to calls and texts seeking a comment on the matter.

Environment activist Bhavreen Kandhari said the gap between saplings planted on paper and those found on the ground reflects a deeper systemic failure in compensatory afforestation programmes.

“Effective delivery is not about ticking boxes. It requires trained staff, proper equipment, clear protocols and sustained oversight. Although frameworks such as CAMPA mandate monitoring through third-party checks and official inspections, frontline teams are often under-resourced, lack specialised training in survival assessment, and do not have access to standardised tools such as geo-tagging and digital reporting,” she said.

Kandhari added that strengthening staffing, technical training and dedicated monitoring infrastructure is essential to ensure that compensatory afforestation commitments for projects such as the Dwarka Expressway and UER-II are met in practice, not merely on paper.