Preserving trees

With the temperature soaring exceptionally high in Guwahati and Shillong even during the season of spring, it has started ringing alarm bells. While citizens wonder how to tackle the unprecedented situation and while the authorities remain silent spectators, the fact remains that the most important reason behind this rising trend in temperature is the fast disappearance of trees and green cover. There is no official data regarding the total number of trees within the municipal limits of Guwahati, or for that matter, Shillong. But there is no second opinion on the fact that both these cities have been losing a large number of trees every year for various reasons, the most important being “developmental” activities. There is no official or even unofficial data as to how many trees have been felled in these two cities, say, in the past ten years. Trees have been felled, especially in Guwahati, to widen roads. Trees have been felled in Shillong to make room for new government institutions, hospitals, hotels, etc. It is true that the cities need wider roads. But it is equally true that cities also need trees. The unfortunate part of the story is that citizens, who are the ones to benefit most from more trees, have largely chosen to remain silent, inactive, and passive in this respect. If one looks at Delhi, then one finds that way back in 1994, the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi passed a legislation called the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994. This Act, among other things, has constituted a Tree Authority, which, among other things, is responsible for the preservation of trees in the national capital. The Act has also provided for appointing tree officers, with citizens as well as government agencies having to obtain permission from them to fell a tree. In Bangalore, on the other hand, tree-cutting is illegal. The Karnataka Preservation of Trees (Amendment) Act 1976 governs all trees in this state, and one must get permission from the Tree Officer to cut a tree, which is a prerequisite. Thus, in Bangalore, permission for cutting one tree is granted only after one plants two saplings of the same species in the exact location or in any suitable location. In Maharashtra, the state government has appointed a State Tree Authority, which, among other things, is mandated to increase tree cover in urban areas, particularly in Mumbai. Similar restrictions are also in existence in Chandigarh. In Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, the Madras High Court had a couple of years ago directed the state government to take steps to preserve trees. Can Assam, Meghalaya, and other states of the Northeast take a serious look at this area?