Who is Swami Prem Parivartan, aka ‘Peepal Baba’ and why he is grabbing attention for Delhi-Dehradun expressway

Swami Prem Parivartan is an environmentalist and lifelong tree planter. He began planting trees when he was 10 years old. His work later grew into a national mission through Give Me Trees Trust, which involves volunteers, schools, colleges and local communities.

He became known as “Peepal Baba” because of his long-standing work with peepal trees. His organisation also plants native species such as banyan, neem, jamun and sheesham. His first recorded plantation took place on 26 January 1977 at Pune Military Station.

His work now includes planting and protecting trees along major infrastructure projects. Give Me Trees Trust says it has helped plant and preserve around 25 million trees. Peepal Baba also stresses that planting is only the beginning, because saplings require years of care before they become mature trees.

Peepal Baba’s project is a large tree-planting effort along the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. Its purpose is to bring more greenery to a major infrastructure route and make plantation part of how such projects are planned and understood. The work is led by Peepal Baba and his team, alongside his wider conservation mission.

The team has already planted 40,000 sheesham trees along the expressway. They often work at night, digging and planting under darkness. Peepal Baba said the team starts digging around 10.30 at night and finishes by 4 o’clock. The focus is not only on planting, but also on helping trees survive and grow.

The next phase is planned for February 2027. It aims to plant another four lakh trees along the Dehradun highway. The effort matters because the expressway involved tree removal and transplantation, while passing through areas important for wildlife. It also highlights the long-term care trees need after planting.

Give Me Trees Trust is the organisation founded by Peepal Baba to plant and protect trees across India. According to the trust, its work has helped plant and preserve around 25 million trees. This figure includes its wider activities, not only the plantation work beside the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway.

Along the expressway, Peepal Baba says his team has already planted 40,000 sheesham trees. The team works with volunteers and often plants at night. It also promotes planting and care through schools, colleges and local communities. The organisation uses several native species, including peepal, banyan, neem, jamun and sheesham.

The next expressway phase is planned for February 2027. Its target is another four lakh trees along the Dehradun highway. Peepal Baba’s approach stresses survival, not just planting totals, because young trees need years of protection and care before delivering the benefits of mature trees.

The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is a 213-kilometre road corridor connecting Delhi and Dehradun. It is designed to make travel between the two cities much faster. The project was built at a cost of more than ₹12,000 crore, making it a major infrastructure investment with significant environmental consequences.

The expressway is expected to reduce the journey from more than six hours to around two-and-a-half hours. That time saving is the project’s central commuter benefit. At the same time, the route passes through areas important for wildlife, so its design includes measures intended to reduce harm to animals and habitats.

The project has also involved the removal and transplantation of trees. A July 2025 parliamentary response said 17,913 trees had been felled or transplanted for the project. It mentioned compensatory afforestation across 157.2 hectares and plans for 50,600 avenue trees within the highway’s right of way, while Peepal Baba is planning additional planting.

The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway passes through areas that are important for wildlife. A large, busy highway can affect how animals move through their habitat. It can also create barriers between parts of the landscape. The project therefore includes special structures intended to reduce its environmental impact.

These measures include a 12-kilometre elevated wildlife corridor, animal passages and dedicated elephant underpasses. The elevated corridor allows the highway to cross sensitive areas while leaving space for wildlife movement below or around it. Animal passages and elephant underpasses provide routes designed for animals to cross more safely.

These features show that the expressway is not only a transport project. It also requires planning for wildlife and habitat connectivity. However, the project has still involved tree removal and transplantation. Peepal Baba’s plantation work adds greenery along the route, but the article stresses that new saplings cannot immediately replace mature trees or their ecological benefits.

Peepal Baba’s plantation drive is linked to the environmental cost of building the expressway. The route has required trees to be removed or transplanted, even though it also includes wildlife protections. His work aims to bring more greenery to the highway and make tree planting a visible part of major infrastructure projects.

A parliamentary response in July 2025 reported that 17,913 trees had been felled or transplanted for the project. It also mentioned compensatory afforestation across 157.2 hectares and plans for 50,600 avenue trees within the highway’s right of way. Peepal Baba says his team has planted 40,000 sheesham trees and plans four lakh more.

His plantations therefore complement official greening measures, but they are not an instant replacement for lost mature trees. The article stresses that new saplings need years of care before offering comparable shade and ecological benefits. Protecting older trees remains important alongside planting new ones.

Newly planted saplings are much smaller and less developed than mature trees. They therefore cannot immediately provide the same shade or ecological benefits. This is why Peepal Baba says planting a tree is only the beginning. Survival and long-term growth matter as much as the initial plantation.

The difference is especially important after construction removes or transplants older trees. A mature tree has already spent years developing its canopy and ecological role. A sapling planted beside a highway starts that process from the beginning. It needs protection, water and care while it grows, although the article does not list specific care methods.

Peepal Baba’s work combines new plantation with a call to protect older trees. The expressway includes official plans for compensatory afforestation and avenue trees, while his team plans four lakh additional trees. Together, these efforts can increase greenery over time, but they do not erase the immediate loss of mature trees.