‘Why are healthy trees being cut in name of public safety?'
Dehradun: Environmentalists in the capital have raised concerns over what they describe as a "questionable and unscientific approach" to tree felling, following two fatal accidents last week involving tree collapses during thunderstorms.
In response, the forest department has belatedly started identifying trees deemed "structurally weak" and "dangerous" to public safety. However, activists allege that healthy trees are being "indiscriminately chopped or lopped under the guise of precaution".
Public outrage intensified on Monday after multiple trees were cut down outside Rashtrapati Ashiana. "We were told only one tree, already felled last month, would be lost.
But several more were removed without any proper justification. The authorities' callous attitude towards the city's green cover is disheartening," said eco-activist Himanshu Arora.
He added, "On Sunday, three trees were marked for removal on the Doon Hospital premises. Thanks to timely intervention, we managed to save two. The one that was lost was a completely healthy, green tree. These trees provide essential shade to hundreds of patients and visitors daily.
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Authorities fail to recognise even such basic ecological and human needs."
Part of Rashtrapati Ashiana is expected to open to the public on June 20, prompting hurried infrastructure work along Rajpur Road. Activists blame this for worsening damage to the urban green cover. The tree that collapsed at Tehsil Chowk on Saturday, leading to the death of a woman, was green but had lost its stability due to concrete encroachment at its base, a fate shared by many trees across the city's pavements, they said.
Ruchi Singh of Citizens for Green Doon, an environmental advocacy group, said, "During various Smart City projects in recent years, concrete has been poured right up to the trunks of trees. In some cases, JCBs have even dug up roots, blatantly violating environmental norms laid out by the National Green Tribunal. This weakens trees over time and provides a convenient pretext for cutting them down. Tragically, it's not just vulnerable trees, healthy ones are also being targeted, steadily eroding the capital's green lungs.
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She added, "The forest department lacks experts capable of accurately assessing whether a tree is structurally weak. Often, any tree that stands in the way is labelled dangerous. The Forest Research Institute has both the technology and expertise for such evaluations, and we've been urging authorities for years to consult them before felling trees, but to no avail."
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