New Delhi: Delhi’s tree pruning dilemma is growing along with its trees. While residents are worried about overgrown trees falling on people and cars, the authorities don’t want to touch the matter, fearing legal repercussions.Residents like Kalika Dhingra took the matter to the local councillor, but to no avail. Dhingra, an RWA member from D Block, East of Kailash, said residents filed complaints regarding three to four dead trees in Krishna Park. It got little attention. “I even took up the matter with the area councillor. The branches of the trees are falling on walkers in the park. We need to understand that unchecked growth will increase the tree’s chances of getting uprooted,” she said. Light pruning before the monsoon was an exercise followed every year earlier, but not anymore.The complaints of delays in attending to tree pruning requests have come amid a Delhi High Court order in May. The court stayed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by Delhi govt that had allowed light pruning of branches with a girth of less than 15.7 cm without the approval of a tree officer.But scientific pruning is essential, even to the health of the trees, said environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari. The city needs to stop treating tree pruning as either an afterthought or simply as a tree cutting exercise. “Scientific pruning is essential for infrastructure, along with prioritising the health and structural safety of our trees, particularly before and during the monsoon,” Kandhari said. “But it requires trained arborists, adequate horticulture staff, proper equipment and, most important, expert supervision. Delhi’s own SOP recognises that pruning must be scientific and carried out under the supervision of a horticulturist. A city that is planting millions of saplings must also invest in caring for the mature trees it already has,” she said.While officials claim they are closely monitoring each case before giving approval, residents have raised concerns that the order should not become a reason or excuse for authorities to sit on genuine complaints when the trees pose a safety risk.For example, in CR Park’s G Block, residents have been waiting for more than two months for the pruning of three trees they consider a threat to public safety. Residents said they submitted a complaint to MCD in May. The civic body forwarded the matter to the forest department in July. After that, nothing has happened.Sangita Thukral, president of the CR Park residents’ association covering M, P, N and certain houses in G Block, said: “We are not in favour of abrupt cutting or pruning of trees as they are adding to the greenery and a better environment. But one tree has broken the boundary of a park, another has tilted towards the other side of an 8-metre-wide road, with its broken branches often falling on people, and the third is an old, decayed bael tree. These can any day harm residents. After the recent ruling, MCD or the forest department are not even conducting surveys.”She recalled that last year, despite several complaints, MCD failed to take action before a tree eventually fell. The tree remained on the spot for nearly two weeks. Residents arranged for workers and logistics, spending around Rs 12,000, and got it removed.“The process was slow earlier and now things have become even more complicated. We are also demanding routine pruning of at least 89 trees in the block. These were last pruned about three years ago,” another resident of the area said.On Aug 7, a huge tree fell on electric wires in G Block, East of Kailash, and a parked vehicle on the opposite side of the road was damaged. Residents blamed the horticulture department for failing to take timely action and alleged that officials also do not check illegal concretisation around trees. On July 9, overnight rain uprooted at least five trees across Delhi, disrupting traffic and damaging a parked car in Ranjeet Nagar. On July 7, a huge tree collapsed in GK-I, damaging vehicles parked on the roadside.MCD’s statistics show that the civic authority applied to the forest department for pruning permission for 2,224 trees in June and July. Of these, permission has come for 413 cases.“After permission, tree pruning was carried out by the field staff. The total permissions sought by us included 1,476 complaints from residents, while the rest were identified through field surveys,” an official said. The civic body also claimed to have received 416 requests regarding the removal of dangerous trees during the same period, all of which were forwarded to the forest department.“We are conducting surveys immediately after getting complaints. We are sending status reports to the forest department. If we get early approval, the work will be accelerated,” an official said.A forest department source said the main issue with MCD was its practice of seeking permission for heavy pruning, often involving branches with a girth of 40-80 cm. “Ideally, MCD should seek permission for light pruning, involving branches with a girth of 20-25 cm, once or twice a year for the same trees. However, there is a financial angle to heavy pruning. Thicker branches fetch a better price than thinner ones,” the source said.The source added that heavy pruning affects the balance of trees and makes the foliage sparse. “Permissions granted for heavy pruning are often opposed by residents and activists and are also challenged in court,” the source added.Delhi forest department has four territorial tree officers for 13 districts. It also has a conservator of forests, who is also designated a tree officer and supervises the four territorial tree officers. They conduct surveys after receiving applications from MCD.Residents questioned the practicality of the existing approval system. It would be difficult for a handful of officers to inspect complaints and grant permissions across the city, they said.“When we approach MCD, they say the applications have been forwarded to the forest department. Later, the forest department either says it has not received the application or does not respond at all. During this monsoon, two trees got uprooted and branches of several others were damaged,” said Karan Aggarwal, a resident of D Block, East of Kailash.Residents suggested the creation of a board for horticulture-related matters in Delhi, with representatives from MCD, NDMC, DDA, forest department, PWD and the local administration. “People should not have to run from pillar to post to get genuine complaints heard,” Aggarwal said.
