No action to de-choke trees

More than 10 days after the National Green Tribunal ordered that trees be released from concrete, no government or civic agency seems keen on the execution.

More than 10 days after the National Green Tribunal ordered that trees be released from concrete, no government or civic agency seems keen on the execution.

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In Meera Bagh, the concretisation of trees up to the trunk was under way. Even trees inside parks have not been spared. A similar scenario could be seen in areas such Panchsheel Enclave, Sarvodaya Enclave, Aurobindo Marg, Mandir Marg and Delhi Cantonment.

“Officials in Panchsheel Enclave, Sarvodaya Enclave and Meera Bagh have been apprised of the Green Tribunal order by post,” said a senior forest department official.

“We first need to identify trees that need to be de-choked. We have already started work in some areas,” said an official of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation. However, tree activists have been struggling to nudge authorities to de-choke trees and de-concretise pavements on Aurobindo Marg.

The corporations in east and north Delhi had a similar response.

A New Delhi municipal council official said, “About 90% deconcretisation has been done. The rest will be done before May 15.” In several NDMC areas such as New Moti Bagh residential colony on Shanti Path, trees remain choked with cement up to the trunks.

“The green tribunal order came on April 23, but there have been central guidelines. These agencies have chosen not to act,” said SC lawyer Rajiv Dutta.

“We’re losing a huge amount of rainwater due to concretised pavements,” said Padmavati Dwivedi, an environmentalist.

(With inputs from Ritam Halder)