Rampant trimming drive for pandals, beautification

Trees are being randomly felled and branches mercilessly hacked in South Delhi areas -- all in the name of pruning, trimming and beautification.

Trees are being randomly felled and branches mercilessly hacked in South Delhi areas -- all in the name of pruning, trimming and beautification.

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Such instances have been reported from a temple premises in Jangpura and a park in Jangpura Extension. Trees near the Durga Puja venues at CR Park are also facing the axe.

At Valmiki Mandir in Jangpura B, branches have been cut in the name of pruning and clearing unruly shrubs and bushes. This site is just a few yards away from Noor Masjid, which was demolished on court orders in January last year.

Numerous freshly-cut branches can be seen lying around the temple premises. According to residents, the Valmiki Mandir management officials started cutting branches of trees on the temple premises on Friday.

“When we asked them not to cut the branches, they said it’s their land and they can do whatever they want on it,” alleged RWA president Monu Singh Chadha.

In Jangpura Extension, residents alleged several trees have been felled at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park on the pretext of pruning. A few kilometers away in CR Park, piles of branches lay scattered in heaps near the B-block ground.

The situation at other puja venues is no different. Several trees have been trimming by the horticulture department of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Amit Kumar Roy, general secretary of the B-block Durga Puja committee, said the “trimming” was done over the weekend. “It has been happening in the entire CR Park and Kalkaji area and it is an yearly affair.

The SDMC with the help of mechanised cranes of the BSES have trimmed the trees and cleared the bushes and shrubs keeping in mind beautification of the city this festive season,” Roy said.

Heaps of green branches, of various shapes and sizes, were lying scattered on the side of the roads even till Monday, the day when the SDMC declared a special cleaning drive across major departments, including horticulture, in view of the festivities.

A municipal official said the corporation was not aware about the trimming and pruning of the trees. “Some field staff may have cut some branches. The horticulture department will be asked to conduct an inquiry,” the official said.