Trees cut near Sarvodaya Enclave. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal/Representational Image)
By Sukrita Baruah
Armed with crayons, measuring tapes and copies of books on the Delhi trees, a group of around 20 citizen volunteers commenced their mission to conduct a census of the trees of Netaji Nagar on Tuesday evening.
A total of 2,294 trees in Netaji Nagar are under threat of being felled for redevelopment plans, and these volunteers are interested in creating a clear picture of what exactly the city is set to lose if the proposal comes through.
Padmavati Dwivedi, an environment activist who had led the city’s first citizen census of trees in 2011-2012 in Sarvodaya Enclave, is leading the census effort. She claims the numbers being quoted by various government bodies are not reliable.
Children whose parents had brought them to participate in the project made up a sizeable number of volunteers. Each volunteer carried a form to list out the details of each tree — its species, girth, height and location. According to Vallari Sheel, a large part of this effort is also to help create a personal connection between citizens and trees.
“When these announcements are made, you just hear that, say, 3,000 trees are being lost. Where are these trees located? How big are they? That information is lost. Participating in this public audit of sorts, and gathering information on individual trees, you realise what it is you lose when a tree is gone,” she said.