Majestic old trees in Delhi succumbed to strong winds because of concretisation, callousness of officers: HC

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The bench further said that the city witnessed “extensive devastation” to its vegetation caused by the thunderstorm. “Majestic old trees have succumbed to the strong winds primarily because the roots had weakened courtesy largely to the agencies owning the roads or permitting concretisation of the earth around it and indeed, callously disregarding care, upkeep of the tree,” said Justice Waziri.

The court last month ordered a stay on further felling of trees in the national capital after it was informed that more than 29,000 trees have been cut or transplanted in the city in the past three years. The court said that there was “no other way” to mitigate the environmental degradation, while ordering the interim stay.

Commenting on a submission made by the Delhi government that green cover in Delhi has increased in the past few years, Justice Waziri Thursday said it only means the number of trees planted and nothing else. “If you denude it in the heart of a city where people are living, it is of no consequence. Tell your department to get some new officers from wherever you want. Take them from some other department. We can’t have the tree officers, DCFs being so handicapped,” said the court, while stressing on the need of more officers in the forest department.

Deputy Conservator of Forests, Central, last month told the court that a total of 13,490 trees were permitted to be cut and 16,456 trees were directed to be transplanted in 2019, 2020 and 2021 across Delhi. The court had observed that one wonders how the department of forest considers that Delhi has the luxury for granting such permissions.