The Hindu 24.11.2010
Trees cut freely, replanted scarcely in Delhi
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
Several agencies default on the number of trees to be re-planted
NEW DELHI: The Capital city that takes pride on its “greens” has been rather lenient when it comes to enforcing compulsory tree plantation laws. For every tree that is cut by an agency or an individual, 10 saplings have to be planted and a refundable security amount of Rs.1,000 per tree cut has to be deposited, says the Delhi Tree Preservation Act, 1994.
However, an application filed under the Right to Information Act seeking details of trees cut in the city reveals that several agencies defaulted on the number of trees that were to be planted under the compulsory plantation rule. Some have not bothered to plant even one tree despite depositing the security amount.
Vinod Jain, of non-government organisation Tapas, who sought details on the trees that have been cut from 2003 till date, said: “There are several agencies like the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Delhi Development Authority, the Delhi Transport Corporation and the Public Works Department that sought permission for felling trees, paid up the security deposit, but there is no data on the exact number of trees that have been planted as compensation for the felled ones. Each agency has to verify the number of trees planted against the felled ones. In some divisions the trees planted as compensation are either less than what was required or not planted at all.”
According to Mr. Jain, a number of agencies have been issued notices for not carrying out the plantation work and few have had their security deposits forfeited.
In the North Zone, according to the RTI reply, between 2003 and 2010 permission was granted for felling 1,867 trees and 13,567 should have been replanted. However, the re-plantation figure should ideally have been 18,670.
In the West Zone between 2003 and 2010, 20,480 trees were allowed to be cut and a target of planting 225,119 trees against those cut was set. In the South Zone between 2000 and 2009, 30,679 trees were allowed to be cut and 246, 225 trees were supposed to be planted as compensation.
“About 89,017 trees have been allowed to be cut for various works of agencies like the MCD, PWD, DMRC and the DDA. But the government has been lax in ensuring that for each tree cut, 10 are actually being planted. In some cases only a few saplings are planted in place of full-grown trees. There is no law that specifies that if a tree of a certain utility and height is cut, there should be a comparable replacement,” said Mr. Jain.
He said the practice of cutting trees from inside the limits of the city and re-forestation on the outskirts is also flawed. “The DMRC, for instance, plants trees against the ones that they sought permission to fell. But these trees are planted at far away places like the forest in Aya Nagar, whereas the trees were cut from within the city limits.”
