New Delhi: As work gathers pace on several key infrastructure projects, including the expansion of Rao Tula Ram (RTR) Hospital, Madipur Hospital and the Rouse Avenue Courts complex, Public Works Department (PWD) has begun transplanting trees that stand in the way of construction. Across the projects, contractors have been tasked with relocating trees within a 2-km radius and maintaining them for 36 months after transplantation to improve their chances of survival.The largest such exercise is under way at the Rouse Avenue Courts complex, where PWD has initiated the process of felling or transplanting 390 trees for the Rs 550-crore expansion project. According to tender documents, 213 trees will be felled while 177 will be transplanted. At the proposed 270-bed expansion of Rao Tula Ram Govt Hospital in Jaffarpur, PWD plans to transplant eight trees. The work includes excavating around the trees, pruning branches, lifting and transporting them to a new location within 2 km. The contractor will also be responsible for maintaining them for 36 months after relocation.Similarly, for the proposed hospital project at Madipur, the department has floated a tender for the transplantation and maintenance of 15 trees. As with the RTR Hospital project, the contractor will be required to transplant the trees within a 2-km radius and maintain them for three years to ensure their survival.