Damaged trees belie NDMC’s claims

The New Delhi Municipal Council has claimed that only 600 trees in its jurisdiction are left to be freed of concrete. Darpan Singh reports.

The New Delhi Municipal Council has claimed that only 600 trees in its jurisdiction are left to be freed of concrete.

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But hundreds of trees in its care can be seen choked with cement.

In an affidavit submitted to the National Green Tribunal, NDMC chief engineer, Anant Kumar, has said that of the 2,881 trees identified for rescue work in five road divisions, work on 2,286 is complete. “The rest 600 will be cared for by May 31,” he said.

Hearing a petition filed by tree enthusiasts Aditya N Prasad, Rajeev Mahunta, and Rajul Jain against government authorities, the tribunal had ordered the NDMC and many other land-owning agencies in Delhi such as the three municipal corporations and Delhi Development Authority to remove concrete, nails, hoardings etc from trees by July 12 or face action.

Though the affidavit states that the NDMC’s horticulture department has removed nails and hoardings from all trees, these can still be seen at several places.

Near Modern School, a Delhi Transport Corporation board has been nailed to a neem tree. At Shanti Path, tin sheets with names of tree species have been nailed to a large number of trees.

The affidavit says the NDMC has told cable operators to remove cable wires or else its enforcement wing will do the job and penal action will follow. But that’s not happening yet.

The NDMC covers sensitive and VVIP areas and venues for various national and international events.

Some of the roads under its jurisdiction are Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Barakhamba Road, Parliament Street, Janpath and Lodhi Road. Choking of trees can be seen at many places, which is in clear violation of government guidelines and high court orders issued over the years.

Tiles have been removed around trees at Todar Mal Road but the concrete underneath has been left behind. Surprisingly the NDMC had de-concretised these very roads in 2007 after a Delhi High Court order. These trees have been concretised again.

These trees have been concretised again.The NDMC operates a tree ambulance to cure damaged trees in its jurisdiction.

The area under NDMC is only 2-3 per cent of entire Delhi but about half of this 2-3 per cent is green with the council being a repository of one lakh trees on public land. The NDMC has 1250 acres of green area, which includes six major gardens, five nurseries, 53 roundabouts, 122 small parks and 981 colony parks.