With heightened pollution levels becoming a cause of immense worry in the national capital, the Lt. Governor VK Saxena has ignited another debate with his affidavit in the Supreme Court regarding felling of trees in the Ridge area. Saxena has stated that while clearing a project in February for a medical facility which entailed cutting of 600 trees, he was not aware that permission from the court had to be obtained for such an action. The Lt. Governor who is also the head of the Delhi Development Authority, along with other senior functionaries, can face action if the Court decides to initiate proceedings against them. His affidavit to the court is something which implies that the constitutional head of the Delhi government was unaware of the rules and regulations and has in the process infringed the law. The Ridge is the lung of the city which is facing enormous problems arising out of increasing population, more vehicles and stubble burning in the neighbouring states. Over the past four decades, the Ridge cover has been diminishing with so many buildings coming up in the forest area. There are two distinct stretches of the Ridge, one which commences from the Delhi University till the Baraf Khana Chowk and the other from Pusa Road till Dhaula Kuan. Jagmohan as the Lt. Governor of Delhi in the early 1980s in the name of sprucing up the Ridge, cleared it of bushes and thickets that were an integral part of the flora fauna. Subsequently barbed wire fencing was done but it did not halt the tree cover denudation. The stretch near Delhi University is not what it used to be earlier and while widening the road from the Hindu Rao hospital towards Rajpur Road near the Civil Lines zone MCD office, many trees were cut. The patch near the Tirath Ram Shah hospital has lost a lot of its tree coverage. Similarly, the main ridge from Pusa Road also is not what it used to be. In the 1960s, there were very few projects that had been started. The Rabindra Rangshala which was for cultural programs and is largely in disuse had come up. Then, there was a listening post or a wireless network of the All India Radio or some government agency and the Buddha Jayanti park towards Dhaula Kuan. Gradually, the Ashram of a Godman came up and then some schools. The Army and the Defence Ministry was also given land and some construction activity saw trees disappearing. On the Sardar Patel Marg, three petrol pumps were closed down as was one on the Willingdon Crescent but the commitment for maintaining an ecological balance was lacking. Under Sheila Dikshit, a tree plantation drive with much fanfare was initiated on the Ridge and other parts of the city. No one knows what happened to these saplings.
The trees and pollution have a close relation with each other. The governments, both at the Centre and in the city have over the past many years failed in preserving the environment. An aspect that needs to be re-examined other than the stubble burning fires that bring in pollution are the use of the CNG vehicles. It should be scientifically established whether this step has helped in any manner or was initiated at the instance of some powerful lobby wanting to promote certain kind of technology. What also often gets overlooked is that the pollution caused by vehicle Tyres on roads which are in a terrible state also emanates very dangerous fumes. The authorities have to be held accountable for the state of affairs of the roads which continue to be a cause of immense concern. When Madan Lal Khurana was the Chief Minister, he ensured that after the monsoons, the city was spruced up with road repairs at war footing and disinfectants sprayed or sprinkled in every area. No such initiative is shown by those in power. Various agencies such as Jal Board and DDA have scant respect when it comes to digging wherever they wish. The problem arises when the follow up is not taken care off. There are several roads which need immediate attention. A kilometre long stretch between Rajokri and Kapeshera was given a concrete coating about 14 years ago. It is in such a terrible state with no one willing to even have a look. This despite the fact that this is the route taken by various vehicles belonging to the BSF, CRPF, Delhi Police and the CISF. The Lt. Governor should instead of displaying ignorance about tree felling permission, should take the assistance of those familiar with law. It does not speak well if the Lt. Governor of all the people offers such a lame excuse. In this respect, it needs to be mentioned that things were very much in control when Vijai Kapoor was the head of the government during the NDA period of Atal Behari Vajpayee. He remains as the best Lt. Governor Delhi has had, and having served in various capacities in the city, was personally familiar about all the issues. The government just to show that it was responding to the situation cannot hike parking rates in the NDMC area. The car and two-wheeler owners are not responsible for the pollution which has its roots in the flawed polices of more than four decades. Why punish people with enhanced rates instead of taking adequate steps and taking to task officials who are not performing their duties diligently.
