Akshardham expansion gets SEIAA recommendation with tree and height conditions

Akshardham’s proposed Sabha Mandap redevelopment in east Delhi has received a recommendation for environmental clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, with limits on construction, height and tree retention.

The plan submitted by Bochasanwasi Shri Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha covers the complex at Pramukh Swami Maharaj Marg near Akshardham Setu. It involves demolishing 2,954.2 square metres of the existing Sabha Mandap and building up to 24,500 square metres, a net addition of 21,545.7 square metres to the current built-up area of 80,907.5 square metres.

SEIAA has capped the total built-up area after expansion at 1.02 lakh square metres. The redeveloped hall may have a ground floor, three upper floors and a mezzanine, with a maximum height of 29.6 metres; the complex as a whole cannot exceed 37.3 metres.

All 9,728 existing trees must be retained without felling or transplantation, while 50 native saplings must be planted. Their locations, survival status and geo-tagged photographs are to be included in six-monthly compliance reports.

Yamuna activist Bhim Singh Rawat said the proposal still needs scrutiny over the site’s floodplain status and groundwater conditions. The Supreme Court in 2005 and the National Green Tribunal in 2019 had held that the temple and an extended structure were not part of the Yamuna floodplain.