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ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
LUCKNOW GROWS trees, it seems, only to be felled later. Thousands of trees have been axed, thousands more are on the chopping block. Forget the past. Here is what is in store. At least three more proposals seeking permission for felling hundreds of full-grown trees in different parts of city are pending with the Forest Department. The Lucknow Development Authority for instance has sought permission for chopping about 100 trees on a stretch of land between sector G and sector I in the LDA colony, Kanpur road.
Do we grow trees to be felled later?
LUCKNOW GROWS trees, it seems, only to be felled later. Thousands of trees have been axed, thousands more are on the chopping block.
Forget the past. Here is what is in store. At least three more proposals seeking permission for felling hundreds of full-grown trees in different parts of city are pending with the Forest Department.
The Lucknow Development Authority for instance has sought permission for chopping about 100 trees on a stretch of land between sector G and sector I in the LDA colony, Kanpur road. The reason stated in the letter to the forest department is widening of road. The LDA has decided to widen the stretch of road to 24 metres. Over 700 trees have already been cut on Kanpur road for road widening.
It has further been learnt that the Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to chop off trees on a stretch of road in front of the university. However, the forest department is learnt to have put its foot down asking for a joint inspection. Another application has come from a private builders for removing trees in the Paper Mill Colony. In this case the forest department has asked the builder to remove the encroachments first and then ask for cutting the trees.
These cases seem to be an effort on line with that of a large-scale felling of trees on Gomti Nagar road. Over 800 trees have been felled in Gomti Nagar for road widening purpose.
“It’s an environmental hazard,” said Vikrant Nath of Caravan Heritage Conservation Society. The passers by had to pass through heavy dust, and dry patch of land, he added. According to him the best option would have been transplantation of trees as was being done in Surat.
As regards other areas, Vikrant said instead of targeting green areas, the state government agencies must try and remove encroachments first so that they get sufficient space for construction of roads and regulation of traffic.
C B Tiwari, an environmentalist, lamented the situation of plantation in the city. He claimed to have planted hundreds of trees in different parts of the city.
“Look at the tree guards in Rajni Khand and Ruchi Khand of Gomti Nagar,” said Tiwari adding, if the government agencies were not interested in taking care of the trees and the tree guards, we were ready to do the needful. According to Tiwari some 3000 trees might have been chopped off in the last one year in the city. “An equal number or more has been planted but without proper care,” he quipped.
