The area around trees is being covered with concrete or paver blocks on several roads in violation of the norms in Ludhiana. Tribune photo

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, December 31

Finding fault with the method of laying interlocking tiles on sides of several roads in the city by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) and the Municipal Corporation (MC), which would result in severe damage to most of the trees, the Council of Engineers (CoE) has lodged two complaints with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the state government, seeking their intervention to stop the practice immediately.

CoE president Kapil Dev cited an earlier complaint in this regard (made in January 2020, after which the Department of Local Government, Punjab, issued instructions to the MC to not to cover the area around trees with concrete and paver blocks.

The complaint said work for the laying of interlocking tiles on footpaths and road berms had been initiated by the LIT on Mall Road, College Road, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar Man Road and contrary to the directions issued by the state government and the orders made by both the apex court and the NGT, area around trees were being covered with concrete and paver blocks damaging the roots of the trees.

Citing the orders of the Supreme Court and the NGT, the CoE recalled that in 2013, the NGT had directed the Delhi civic bodies to leave a 1-m radius around trees and those failing to comply with these directions were liable to face a penalty of Rs 10,000 per tree.

Kapil Dev pointed out that officials concerned of the LIT and the MC were continuously covering the areas around the trees with concrete and fixing the interlocking tiles over it without consulting horticulturists and experts about the devastating effect of the same. The practice had not only resulted in stopping the penetration of rainwater into earth’s surface but was also acting as slow poison for existing trees and plants.

Seeking immediate intervention of the government and the NGT, the CoE said to avoid irreparable loss to trees and greenery and to ensure proper seepage of rainwater through the earth surface of the remaining area on roadsides, directions be issued to the LIT and the MC for replacing the paver blocks with grass pavers/turf pavers (porous pavers) along with leaving space for green cover as well.