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Indian Express
04-05-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Over 200 trees in Delhi collapsed during last week's storm. Why does this happen?
-A healthy peepal tree fell close to the President's Estate. -On Akbar Road, a tamarind tree with a hollow trunk collapsed. -At the Army Depot, a giant neem tree fell and blocked the main entrance. -Outside the AIIMS Trauma Centre, another large tree came down. -In Sheikh Sarai, a tree fell on a car while its roots left another car suspended in the air. -In Vasant Kunj fallen trees crushed parked cars. South Delhi's Aurobindo Marg and Defence Colony were also not spared. These trees were among 200 that came toppling down when an intense thunderstorm — strong winds reaching up to dangerous speeds of 80 kmph accompanied by 77 mm of rain — hit Delhi on Friday. As the rain, the second-highest single-day May rainfall in Delhi since 1901, swept through the city, it also brought down large branches, damaged vehicles, power lines and public infrastructure, and led to the loss of four lives. This isn't even the first time that Delhi's neighbourhoods and busy roads witnessed trees falling at such a large scale. In May 2022, a 'severe' category storm claimed two lives and uprooted hundreds of trees across Delhi, including a total of 77 trees under the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), while damaging over 50 branches. Why does this happen? Experts said the extreme weather does play a major role. But it isn't the only cause. Issues ranging from root damage, poor or irregular pruning, widespread concretisation around trunks, termite attacks, unscientific cabling, and a lack of updated data on tree health have all added to the problem. For context, Delhi has 147 sq km of tree cover that falls outside forest areas. This is around 9.8% of Delhi's geographical area as per the India State of Forest Report (IFRS) 2023. Why isn't anything being done to prevent this? The answer to this lies in a complex web of laws and guidelines, and a 2023 Delhi High Court order. Delhi has laws and administrative guidelines that outline how trees are to be maintained, pruned, and protected. It also includes who is responsible for assessing their health and ensuring they don't pose risks during such weather events. These rules are grounded in the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994; its associated 2019 Guidelines for Pruning; and several binding orders from the Delhi High Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT) over the last decade. Under the DPTA, 1994, any tree in the city — including on roadsides, parks, colonies, or government land — is protected if its trunk is at least 5 cm thick and 1 metre tall. Day-to-day tree care on public land is under several civic agencies. Under the 2019 pruning guidelines, the Deputy Director (Horticulture) of each land-owning agency is held responsible for cutting or pruning trees on its property. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) (for most neighbourhoods) and NDMC (for Lutyens' Delhi) each have horticulture wings that trim or plant street trees. The Public Works Department looks after highway and main-road trees, and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) handles trees in DDA parks and housing areas. However, a Delhi High Court order in 2023 changed things. It prohibited any agency from pruning a tree without first consulting the Forest Department-appointed Tree Officers in respective forest divisions. For routine pruning, like cutting small branches (less than 15.7 cm in girth), permission was not needed earlier — this clause was struck down by the High Court. Now, all significant pruning must follow the full legal process under the Trees Act — which means filing an application, an inspection by the Tree Officer, and written approval. The department also has the power to direct land-owning agencies to take action like deconcretisation, transplantation, and also to impose fines in cases of neglect. On whether regular pruning — heavy or light — is possible, officials cited a host of concerns, including shortage of staff, machinery and statutory hurdles that delay or discourage periodic pruning in key areas. Explaining the conundrum, NDMC Director (Horticulture) Chellaiah Sellamuthu said, 'Pruning practices are often discouraged due to strict regulations under the DPTA and frequent objections by tree activists.' 'There is no distinction between forest and non-forest trees in urban areas. The DPTA needs to treat them differently and allow horticultural practices that suit city conditions,' he added. Other factors According to Sellamuthu, the city's trees are vulnerable to multiple stressors. 'In dry months, the shallow watering provided by tankers doesn't reach the roots. Termites invade, and hollowing begins internally. That weakens the tree's structure over time,' he said. Giving an example, the senior official said the canopy of vilvam trees on Zakir Husain Marg is spread around from the trunk area and vertically as well. But the root penetration is not as much. 'As a thumb rule, the canopy size and the root size should be in proportion, balancing each other to ensure tree stability and avoid risks,' he said. One of the biggest threats is concretisation — pouring cement around a tree's base, which chokes roots and cuts off aeration. A notice was issued in 2019 by the Forest Department informing all departments and civic agencies that concretisation of trees damages them and is an offence under the DPTA, 1994. 'The concrete surrounding the trees within one metre of the trees are removed forthwith and due precaution taken in future so that no concrete or construction or repairing work is done at least within one metre radius of the trunk of trees,' stated the circular. In 2013, the NGT had ordered that at least a one-metre radius around every tree must be free of concrete. All agencies were told to remove tiles, walls, or any construction from around tree trunks. Sellamuthu also pointed to cabling work as a common source of root damage. 'Trenchless boring is done to lay internet and utility cables. But the one-metre limit for such work is impractical — tree roots spread much further, and any disruption affects the entire system,' he said. Staff shortage is another problem. As per Section 9 of the Trees Act, every tree felling or pruning request must be followed by a site inspection by the Tree Officer, who is supposed to examine the tree's health, structure, and need for action. But Delhi has only a handful of Tree Officers to cover the entire city. The lack of data doesn't help matters either. Every land-owning agency is supposed to keep a record of trees on their land, including girth, species, and health status. However, Delhi lacks a city-wide, updated, public tree census. The Supreme Court, in a December 2024 order, allowed Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute (FRI) to collaborate with Geo-Spatial Delhi Limited (GSDL) for tree census activities. It apprised the top court of its budgetary needs to undertake such a census, as well as Delhi's green cover expansion plan. Previously, there have been efforts by various agencies to conduct a tree census in their jurisdictional areas. In 2020, the NDMC completed a tree census covering 1.8 lakh trees, including data on species, height, canopy area, girth size, tilt, and whether a tree was hollow. However, officials said this has not been published or digitised due to administrative reasons. The MCD, too, last year, started the process to geo-tag trees, which has not been fully completed yet, as per officials. The corporation had identified 1,98,117 trees preliminarily in a first-of-a-kind tree census in 2024.
Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Indian Express
Property dealer arrested for hit-and-run near Hyatt hotel
A 55-year-old property dealer was arrested on April 26 for allegedly killing a man in a hit-and-run incident that occurred opposite Hotel Hyatt Regency in Bhikaji Cama Place earlier in the day. Police said the accused, Rajesh Mehta, is a resident of West Delhi 's Paschim Vihar. Police said the victim, Mulu (34), who hailed from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, was struck by a vehicle while crossing the road late at night. He was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where he was declared dead on arrival. With no eyewitnesses and limited CCTV camera coverage near the accident spot, the police probe initially faced major hurdles. 'The team visited the spot, made inquiries about the vehicle… However, due to heavy traffic and the absence of CCTVs in the area, no immediate clue could be found…,' DCP (Southwest) Surendra Choudhary said. 'The team then examined all vehicles along Ring Road, going from Dhaula Kuan to AIIMS, eventually narrowing down to over 20 vehicles. These vehicles and their drivers were examined,' he added. The breakthrough came when one of the drivers mentioned seeing a white car hit Mulu, said police. Investigators then focused on all white vehicles travelling along that route around the time of the incident. Police said CCTV footage eventually led them to a Hyundai Alcazar, which was damaged on the driver's side. 'The vehicle was traced across the city — from Ring Road to Africa Avenue Marg, Brigadier Hoshiarpur Singh Marg, Aurobindo Road, via New Delhi district and Central district — before being found parked outside a residence in Shiv Vihar Colony in Paschim Vihar,' said an officer. Inquiry revealed the car belonged to Seema Mehta, who was picked up for questioning. 'She admitted her husband, Rajesh Mehta, was driving the car at the time of the accident. During questioning, Rajesh admitted that around 10 pm, he was driving towards Green Park via Ring Road towards AIIMS at high speed. Near the Hyatt bus stand, he hit an unknown man crossing the road and fled,' the officer said. Mehta, booked under sections 281 (rash driving) and 106(1) (death by negligence) of BNS, was arrested and his car seized.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Time of India
25km CCTV trail leads cops to property dealer in RK Puram hit-&-run
New Delhi: A 55-year-old property dealer was arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident that occurred on April 26 in southwest Delhi's RK Puram, police said on Thursday. According to police, the victim, a 34-year-old man, was struck by a speeding car while crossing the Ring Road, opposite Hotel Hyatt Regency, Bhikaji Cama Place, around 10 pm. He was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he was declared dead on arrival. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi The deceased was later identified as Mulu, a resident of Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh. His identity was confirmed after police recovered an Aadhaar card near the scene, cops said. A case was registered under sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 106 (death due to negligence) of the BNS at RK Puram police station. "Due to lack of direct CCTV footage at the scene, police examined hundreds of surveillance videos along a 25-kilometre stretch from Bhikaji Cama Place to Paschim Vihar. Police narrowed down over 20 potential vehicles and spoke to multiple drivers. One driver reported seeing a white car hitting a pedestrian at the scene. Based on this lead, white vehicles passing during the time frame were searched," DCP (southwest) Surendra Choudhary said. "A white car with a visible dent on the driver's side and partial plate digits '…232' was identified in CCTV footage. The car was tracked through Africa Avenue Marg, Aurobindo Road, and eventually to Shiv Vihar colony on Rohtak Road, Paschim Vihar," DCP Choudhary added. Local inquiry revealed the car was registered in the name of a woman. Her husband, Rajesh Mehta, a property dealer, was found to have been driving the car at the time. During interrogation, the man confessed to hitting the pedestrian and fleeing the scene. The car was seized, and Mehta was arrested. Further investigation is ongoing.
