India News | Sensitize, Train Officers to Protect Trees: HC Tells Delhi Govt, Police

New Delhi, Nov 22 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi government and the city police to sensitize and train its officers to ensure the protection of trees.

Justice Najmi Waziri noted that according to an earlier order, although two workshops were conducted by the Delhi government on the need to preserve forest and trees, the same was not sufficient for the 164 police stations in the city.

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`“Let GNCTD (Delhi Government) and the Delhi Police look into the matter and ensure due compliance regarding sensitization and training of officers and personnel who in the first instance is to ensure the protection of trees”, the judge said in his order passed on November 18.

The court was hearing a plea concerning the rampant cutting of fully grown trees to facilitate a large-scale construction in an area under the jurisdiction of Mehrauli police station.

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As per the petitioner, about 50 “fully grown trees” were cut down in the land in question by certain individuals without any permission from the Tree Officer to make space for large-scale construction.

It was claimed that the construction activity was unauthorised even as per South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

After perusing the photographs of the area, the court said that “this rampant cutting of fully grown trees and large scale construction” could “not have escaped the attention of the local police as well as the concerned authorities”.

While the petitioner claimed that the construction was still ongoing, the SDMC assured that all construction at the site has been stopped since it was in breach of the building bye-laws.

The municipal body added that a letter was also issued to the SHO concerned earlier in the month.

The court was also informed that the notices were issued to the related persons and the demolition has now been fixed on November 25.

The court asked the SHO concerned to provide requisite assistance to the SDMC and directed that authorities file their response to the plea.

The judge said it was a matter of record that in terms of an order passed in February in another plea, the court had directed that all governmental agencies and authorities in Delhi be imparted training by the Delhi government on the need to preserve the forest and trees and the agencies were to be made aware of the orders passed by this court as well as by the National Green Tribunal.

The lawyer who appears, in that case, told the court that two workshops have been conducted by the Delhi government pursuant to the order and only about 20 police officers attended the second workshop.

The court had issued notice on the present petition in October and asked the authorities to file an affidavit stating how the construction was being carried out.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)