Have removed 1,800 ‘green dangerous trees’, 1,200 dead ones in 5 years: UT to High Court

CCF Debendra Dalai submitted the data before a division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha and Justice Arun Palli, through an affidavit. The bench is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Chandigarh administration to plan and take necessary steps to ensure the safety of life and property of the public and avoid any unfortunate incidents on account of falling of trees. The PIL was filed by one Kunal Mulwani after a heritage tree fell down at Carmel Convent School on June 8 crushing to death a Class 10 student. A woman attendant of the private school was put on a ventilator, while the left arm of a student had to be amputated.

The petitioner, among others, has sought directions to the administration to submit data of the past five years in respect of the maintenance, identification and removal of trees that are potential threats to life and property. The petition also seeks data about the complaints received and their redressal.

The petitioner submitted before the Court that to evade responsibility in the Carmel school tragedy, a blame game has started between the Chandigarh Administration, Municipal Corporation and the school authorities.

The data mentions that in 2018, 367 dead/dry tress and 400 green dangerous trees were removed; in 2019 219 dead/dry trees and 383 green dangerous trees were cut; in 2020 204 dead/dry trees and 392 green dangerous trees were identified and cut; in 2021, there were 278 dead/dry trees and 318 green were removed, and in 2022, 173 dead/dry trees and 338 green dangerous trees were removed by the Forest department.

The affidavit submitted before HC further mentioned that the Chandigarh Administration has taken assistance from the Forest Research Institute (FRI) of Dehradun.

As per UT: “The FRI has been requested to use the technological intervention to find the hollowness of trees by the use of acoustics or ultrasound waves for detecting and estimate deterioration in wood structural members and also to detect internal defects inside the trunk of the trees of different girths.

The FRI was also requested for scientific intervention and advice on better management in urban forestry.”

“On July 18, 2022, a six-member team from FRI Dehradun began inspection of the trees from a scientific standpoint and concluded their evaluation on July 20, 2022. The report of the FIR is awaited”, mentions the affidavit of the forest department.

With regard to the procedure for tree felling/pruning, the affidavit mentioned that “with regard to complaints that are received for felling of trees being dangerous or dead, the existing procedure was revisited and has been further shortened to minimise any such type of untoward incident in future.”