Senior corporation officials said that under the plan, they would undertake light pruning of trees and shrubs, especially those blocking streetlights or signboards. "We are not required to take permission from the forest department for light pruning that entails trimming and cutting of very small branches. This work has traditionally been undertaken by the civic agencies without need for any clearance. We have already identified areas where light pruning needs to be done and have put up dates for the specific areas up on the website for each zone," said an official.
The forest department, however, clearly disputed this claim. "The law states that for any work of cutting or pruning, whether heavy or light, a person needs permission from the forest department. No distinction has been made between heavy and light pruning in the law so the civic agencies, if these are carrying out any such work without informing us, are in violation of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994. Their action plan cannot supersede law that makes it invalid," said A K Shukla, chief conservator of forests.
Sources said the civic agencies had always undertaken light pruning without the forest department's permission, a fact the forest department has been aware of but due to a severe staff shortage has neither been able to carry out inspection or take action against offenders.
With winter approaching and Delhiites feeling the sudden need for sunlight, the city has gone on an overdrive to 'prune' trees. At Sarvodaya Enclave, the residents welfare association issued a circular recently, asking people to park their cars indoor as the horticulture department of the corporations would be pruning all 700-plus trees in the colony. Their circular reads that it would take "10-15 working days to complete the task" though civic agency officials said only light pruning is to take place and not of all trees. The forest department denies having received any request for work in the colony.
"Trees have not been pruned for the past 20 years and are posing a lot of problem. A lot of streetlights are completely hidden. We have no intention of harming trees but trees need to be pruned. Winter is approaching and several residents, including elderly people, need sunlight. It is not fair to deprive them of sunlight only to protect trees," said Ashok Butani, the RWA president.
In the nearby CR Park, several trees have been "pruned" to completely remove their green cover. "Pruning is a technical work and has to be supervised by someone who understands trees. It is not as simple as just cutting off a few branches. Need for sunlight is not a valid reason for pruning. Only if the trees are posing a danger to life or property or might damage public property can they be pruned. We will have to look into these cases and request residents to keep a watch on unauthorized pruning and inform the forest department if they see something," said a forest department official.
"The civic agencies have been dragging their feet on the issue of de-tiling around trees which should be done as per a high court order but pruning seems to be big on their agenda," he added.
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