The Tree Protection Act was enacted in the year 1994 regarding the pruning of trees in the country’s capital Delhi and guidelines were also prepared in the year 2019 but were they followed properly?
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Delhi High Court (Delhi HC) National Green Tribunal Overturning an order of the capital, pruning of more than 800 trees near Vasant Vihar has been banned. The High Court has imposed this ban citing the guidelines issued by the Forest and Wildlife Department of Delhi Government in 2019. The High Court has also said that the effect of pruning of trees should be deeply evaluated.
actually in court NGT The challenge was to the order of the HC which said that pruning of any necessary tree would be done as per the guidelines issued by the Tree Authority. According to the petitioners, the 2019 guidelines for pruning of trees are contrary to the 1994 Act.
Understand the depth of the issue of felling of trees
This dispute arose in Vasant Vihar of the capital Delhi when National Green Tribunal ordered pruning of trees in the colony. However, some have argued that the pruning of around 800 trees was contrary to the provisions of the DPTA (Delhi Preservation Of Trees Act). People said that it was not easy for the tree officer to inspect all the trees that only branches with less than 15.7 cm girth would be pruned.
What is Delhi Tree Preservation Act (DPTA) 1994?
The Delhi Protection of Trees Act (DPTA) of 1994 is the law that provides legal protection to trees in the capital city of Delhi. The purpose of this act is to prevent any such action that damages the greenery or hinders the growth of trees.
This act is against all those actions which lead to the destruction of a green tree. Such as cutting of a tree, uprooting it, damaging it with bulldozers, burning etc. In such a case, legal action can be taken against the person responsible or guilty.
What do the 2019 guidelines say?
In the year 2019, guidelines for pruning of trees were prepared to ensure that pruning of trees is done with utmost care and precision rather than carelessness. It has been told in the guidelines to what extent the pruning of trees should be done. Trees with a girth of more than 15.7 cm need the approval of the tree officer before pruning.
When, how many trees were cut in Delhi?
According to the data released by Delhi’s Forest Department, a total of 77,420 trees were allowed to be transplanted or cut between 2019 and 2021 for various projects or construction in Delhi. Of these, 9,946 were cut by the tree officers under section 9 of the Delhi Preservation Act (DPTA), 1994 and 47,474 by the government under section 29 of the DPTA.
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