Delhi high court asks authorities to geo tag trees in Inderpuri

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said the trees should also be numbered after the petitioner, senior lawyer N Hari Haran, told the court that he was willing to adopt the trees in his lane and would contribute to the expenses to maintain them

The Delhi high court on Tuesday asked authorities to carry out a survey and geo tag all trees in Inderpuri, while hearing a plea by a lawyer seeking to stop the felling of a 60-year-old tree in the area.

The concretised and cemented surroundings of a tree, now dug-up. The Delhi government counsel submitted that a tree survey/census be conducted in the Inderpuri area one the lines of the one done in Vasant Vihar in another sub judice matter. (Representative image/HT Archive)

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said the trees should also be numbered after the petitioner, senior lawyer N Hari Haran, told the court that he was willing to adopt the trees in his lane and would contribute to the expenses to maintain them. The court has earlier stayed the felling of the 60-year-old tree.

During the last hearing on November 11, 2021, the court asked the deputy conservator of forests (DCF) to examine the condition of the 60-year-old tree, while remarking that prima facie, the tree did not show any tilt or damage that would necessitate its felling.

During the proceedings on Tuesday, Delhi government counsel Gautam Narayan told the court that it had issued a notice under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA) to the civic body official concerned as well as the owner of the property on which the tree stands for allegedly harming the tree.

He said proceedings on the notice for harming and concreting the pipal tree are still pending and appropriate action shall be taken by the tree officer after holding a hearing. He submitted that there is no permission to the builder or anyone else in the area to do anything to the tree.

He submitted that a tree survey/census be conducted in the Inderpuri area one the lines of the one done in Vasant Vihar in another sub judice matter. He said in that case, the court was apprised that the deputy conservator of forests (DCF) has imposed fine of ₹10,000 each with respect to 387 trees which were found to be concreted along the roads of the public works department (PWD).

“So a sum of ₹37.8 lakh has been deposited by the PWD for their inaction in preventing the concreting of trees. The forest department is taking all actions to prevent further concretisation and harming of trees,” Narayan told the court.

The corporation’s counsel told the court that they had received complaints on three occasions and following these, a communication was sent to the DCF. He said the DCF granted them permission to transplant the pipal tree.

The court after perusing the report noted that the tree was pruned and sought to know why that was done if the tree was to be transplanted.

It, however, noted that proceedings in the matter are pending before the tree officer, who would take note of all these points. The matter would be next heard on March 31.