NGT provides hope for choked deodars

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 17

There could be some hope for the majestic century-old deodar trees, facing the axe or being choked to death to make way for multi-storeyed concrete structure with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) fixing an environmental compensation of Rs 5 lakh for damaging forests or trees for each violation.

Even though there is blanket ban on felling of green trees within the town there are umpteen cases where green deodar trees have been felled to make way for houses or commercial buildings. What is even more disappointing is the fact that despite there being a Tree Authority Committee to ensure that no green tree is felled, the rules are being violated with impunity. The provision that a dead dry tree or one which is posing a threat to a house can be removed is being misused to get rid of a healthy green tree to raise a building. This has put a question mark over the integrity of the Tree Authority Committee.

A visit to any part of the town right from the Jakhu area, Housing Board Colony, Sanjauli, Khalini, Himland, Boileauganj or Chotta Shimla reveals how the trunk of these trees have been covered within the concrete slabs and in many places left jutting out of the roofs. “As per the norms, no construction can be undertaken within two metres of a tree and the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) is supposed to enforce this provision,” admitted an official of the Town and Country Planning.

At many sites where new constructions are coming up, lopping has been undertaken just leaving the barren trunk and the base of the tree inside the concrete slabs and the walls touching the tree trunk. “Such trees are bound to dry up after some time and then it will be very easy to obtain permission to cut it,” lamented BS Malhans, Environmentalist and an INTACH Member. He says as member of the State Heritage Advisory Committee he had recommended that the minimum distance of any construction from a tree be enhanced from the present two mts to five metres but it was never accepted.

“First illegal and unauthorized structures were raised and this was followed by felling of trees in areas like Jakhu, Chota Shimla, New Shimla, converting these into concrete jungle. In Sanjauli, where there was some greenery, now, not even a single tree is visible. This clearly shows the failure on the part of both the Forest Department and the Corporation in effectively enforcing the regulatory regime,” the landmark judgment of the NGT read.

A study undertaken by the Himalayan Forest Research Institute in Panthaghatti some time back had warned that the haphazard and unregulated construction activity could sound the death knell of the deodar trees. The report of the study undertaken in the forests of Khalini, Chotta Shimla and Jakhu had indicated that there was practically no soil left for natural regeneration of the deodar trees and the roots were being choked in the concrete walls and also no space for branches to extend and grow. The study had also shown how at many such places, the green trees had eventually dried up.

Question mark over tree panel integrity

Despite there being a Tree Authority Committee (TAC) to ensure that no green tree is felled, the rules are being violated with impunity. The provision that a dead dry tree or one which is posing a threat to a house can be removed is being misused to get rid of a healthy green tree to raise a building. This has put a question mark over the integrity of the Tree Authority Committee.