M.P. govt. cancels plan to fell 27,000 trees for VVIP bungalows
The government wants to demolish more than 2,200 government houses and bungalows in a 297-acre area to make new houses, flats, and bungalows for government officials, MLAs and State ministers
Following days of protest by citizens and environmentalists, the Madhya Pradesh Government on June 17 rejected a proposal that required the chopping down of more than 27,000 trees to build residences for MLAs and State ministers in the capital, Bhopal.
Cabinet Minister of Urban Development and Housing Kailash Vijayvargiya said that alternate locations will be examined for the project and the public will be consulted for the new proposal.
“In the interest of the environment and the re-densification plan for new Bhopal, the proposal has been rejected after thorough consideration. Instructions have been given to examine alternative places. Discussions will also be held with citizens and public representatives at the initial level for the new proposal,” Mr. Vijayvargiya said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Soon after Mr. Vijayvargiya’s post, the Madhya Pradesh Housing Board also issued an order stating that the proposal had been rejected in view of environmental concerns.
Several citizen groups and environmentalists had been holding protests for the past week in the city’s Shivaji Nagar and Tulsi Nagar areas, where the proposed project was to take place.
The protestors, mainly women, also hugged trees in the area, evoking the famous Chipko Movement of the 1970s.
Under the proposed plan for re-densification, the government wants to demolish more than 2,200 government houses and bungalows in a 297-acre area to make new houses, flats, and bungalows for government officials, MLAs, and State ministers.
The cost of the project is estimated at more than ₹ 2,300 crore.
Following the protests, several MLAs from the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress objected and said that they did not want to chop trees over bungalows.
After Mr. Vijayvargiya’s post, former State Minister and Congress leader P.C. Sharma said, “The people have won…This is a victory for environmentalists, social workers, the people of Bhopal, mothers, and sisters. I am grateful and thankful to all.”
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