Jalandhar: There is a danger of the city losing its greenery due to not planting new trees

Jalandhar: Despite the uproar over the felling of over 20 trees on the premises of the then civil surgeon office in Jalandhar in September last year, felling of trees continues unabated in various parts of the district. Even when the removal of trees is approved by various departments, there is a lack of monitoring to ensure that trees are planted in place of the felled trees. Permission was granted to fell over 20 trees at the Civil Hospital last year, but in recent times, 20 more trees have been felled at the Gandhi Vanita Ashram site. Both these sites were given permission to uproot trees, but there have been several other incidents of unapproved tree felling throughout the year. Last year, around 70 to 80 trees were felled or cut down at various sites in the district. In significant cases, apart from the 20 trees at the Civil Hospital, 10 trees were felled or cut down at P&T Colony in Jalandhar (which led to a complaint), and 33 trees were felled or cut down in the Urban Estate area. These numbers are only for tree removal within the city limits and do not include the many trees cut down for road construction, housing projects and other government developments.

In the context of deteriorating air quality in Jalandhar – where the Air Quality Index (AQI) has hit hazardous levels several times in the past year – along with declining groundwater levels and large-scale deforestation, the continued removal of trees from new sites has not led to meaningful action. While the forest department monitors trees cut on forest land, it is the responsibility of the concerned departments to monitor tree removal within the city limits. Tejaswi Minhas, an activist who has filed several complaints with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) about illegal felling of trees in Jalandhar, says, “At least one tree was felled illegally at the site of Gandhi Vanita Ashram, which we reviewed this morning. Several such trees were felled illegally at the Civil Hospital too. Contractors also cut trees in parking lots and open areas. Even when approval is granted, it is unnecessary to do so because cars scurry about in treeless parking areas in summer and need shade. People are not aware of the huge monetary value of living trees – some of the trees felled recently (especially at the Civil Hospital) had a circumference of 450 to 600 cm – the work of hundreds of years of nature. The lungs of the city are getting emptied every year. Also, these trees are sold at almost throw-away prices, while their furniture in the market costs lakhs. So trees that are treated as a burden during construction are valuable as oxygen generators when alive.” and fetch very high prices as furniture items.

Our main objection is to the criminal neglect of these trees, as these are the lungs of the city and have a role in cleaning the air and water. Heritage trees should be considered sacred. Sustainable methods of construction are also necessary, and without it our future will be bleak and airless. Minhas said, “There has been a slight increase in awareness in response to the complaints made to the NGT, the state principal secretary has formulated a new policy on deforestation – which is a welcome step – though it too needs amendments. In one case of tree felling, an FIR was also lodged on our complaint, which we appreciate – even though the accused is now out on bail.” Divisional Forest Officer Jarnail Singh said, “We do not keep track of trees in non-forest areas. However, the new state policy formulated in the last 2-3 months calls for planting 5 times more trees than those felled in any area to maintain tree cover.” Jalandhar MC commissioner Gautam Jain said, “Technically, there is no officer dedicated to maintain the count of trees or keep track of the replacement trees planted. Though it usually falls under the purview of the horticulture department — in which too, we have only additional charge officers in Jalandhar. But in case of complaints or special cases, I can nominate an officer or form a committee to look into it.”