Forest dept to probe ‘illegal’ felling of trees in Shalimar Bagh

New Delhi: The forest department has asked Public Works Department (PWD) officials to put on hold its work in Shalimar Bagh.Earlier, a complaint was submitted with the forest department, alleging illegal and arbitrary cutting of trees for expansion of a drain.

It alleged that PWD was misusing Section 8 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994.

The complainant claimed that 20-30 trees were already cut in the stretch from AE Block to AD block without valid permission from the tree officer. A senior PWD official, however, said that the work was happening as per the SOP.An inquiry will be initiated soon, said a forest official.Though permission from a tree officer is compulsory to fell a tree, Section 8 of the DPTA provides a critical exception for emergencies where a tree poses an immediate danger to life, property or traffic.

However, the tree officer has to be informed within 24 hours of felling such a tree.Advocate Amber Shehbaz Ansari, who filed the complaint with the forest department and Delhi Police, said, “I found that several mature and healthy trees were being felled by PWD for placing pre-cast water drainage system at Bhagwan Mahavir Marg. An official showed a letter citing Section 8 under which they are authorised to cut/fell/remove.

However, around 20-30 trees were cut in violation of DPTA without taking mandatory permissions.

” He claimed that PWD was planning to fell more trees in the area.Ansari said that the indiscriminate cutting of trees was causing serious environmental concerns, including loss of green cover, increase in air pollution and temperature in the locality, and destruction of habitat for birds and local biodiversity.