Forest dept survey finds 1,684 trees concretised along roads, housing colonies

According to officials, around 180 trees along the road stretching from Greater Kailash-I (near the Ring Road) to R block red light, and then from there to M-block market, were found to be concretised by different government agencies.

An ongoing survey by the south division of the Delhi government’s forest department has found that at least 1,684 trees have been concretised along roads and in residential colonies, with officials claiming that they have issued fines totalling ₹38.7 lakh. The survey, which began last December and covers areas under the south division, aims to identify all such damaged trees and take steps for their revival.

A tree in R Block, East of Kailash, on Tuesday. Filling concrete within a 1m radius of a tree is an offence. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

“So far, over 1,600 concretised trees have been identified across the area. Most of these are native species such as semal, neem, jamun, amaltas and gular, among others. The trees are aged between 10 years and 40-50 years,” said a senior forest official, who did not wish to be named.

According to officials, around 180 trees along the road stretching from Greater Kailash-I (near the Ring Road) to R block red light, and then from there to M-block market, were found to be concretised by different government agencies.

The senior official said that the survey may be extended to other divisions -- north and west.

“Notices have been issued to offenders. While a fine of ₹38.7 lakh has been imposed, only ₹1.8 lakh has been deposited so far. Besides, corrective measures are being undertaken for affected trees,” said Amit Anand, deputy conservator of forest (DCF), south division.

Apart from house and shop owners, the public works department (PWD) and the three municipal corporations --- South, North and East --- are among the offenders, an official said.

Filling concrete within one metre radius of a tree trunk is a violation under the Delhi Trees Preservation Act, 1994, as well as of directions issued under the National Green Tribunal’s 2015 order, and can attract a penalty of ₹10,000 and above, depending on the damage.

Officials said many of the trees identified by the survey were found to be old with their roots choked and partially dried up, even as the canopies of some others had become sparse.

Tree officers who have been carrying out the survey explained that concretisation may even result in gradual decay in some cases. “The trunks and roots of many trees have been cemented while laying/re-laying of pavements, drains or other such construction works on main roads as well as in residential areas. Many residents, while making a driveway or levelling the entrance to their houses or shops, have cemented the area within one metre radius of the trees, which doesn’t leave enough space for water or air to percolate to the roots, resulting in its gradual decay and death,” said an official requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, a senior PWD official said that corrective measures are already being taken at several sites. “Restorative measures will be taken if any tree has been damaged,” said the official, who did not wish to be named.

Officials in the South MCD said that they ensure that the contractors remove the concrete if the bases of any tree gets cemented during their work. “Many times, long after the work is over, residents making driveways or guard boxes also end up cementing the soil around the trees,” said a senior SDMC official, requesting anonymity.

The Delhi high court had last September asked the state forest department to set up a helpline or a link on its website for people to report complaints of concretisation or any other damage caused to trees. The order came after a petition was filed by a resident of Old Delhi where a number of old trees were concretised over the decades leading to their decay.

C R Babu, professor emeritus at Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystem in Delhi University, said that agencies and even individuals need to realise that concretisation of trees is an offence, as it eventually kills the tree. “Trees along the roads are avenue trees that provide shade and oxygen that act as filters against dust and pollution. They already have limited space to grow. When these trees are concretised, their root systems do not get enough space to develop or take the nutrients for its growth from the soil and water. During the monsoon, rainwater has to seep into the soil allowing tree growth, but if it’s layered with concrete, it will eventually die,” said Babu.

He pointed out that many trees in Delhi are dying due to termite attack, noting that most such trees are left vulnerable by concretisation. He also pushed for increasing the minimum radius around trees for filling concrete from 1 metre to 2 metres.

Last year, HT had reported several instances of concretisation of trees after which action was taken by the forest department against offending agencies.

In October 2020, a number of trees on Maharishi Dayanand Marg in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash were found to be concretised and damaged during trenching activity that was being taken up by the public works department (PWD) for constructing a storm water drain in the area. Last September, around 30 full-grown tree bases were concretised at Meera Marg in Lodhi Colony during construction work being taken up by the road-owning agency.