Activists object to planting saplings
Urge to plant trees where there is a dearth.
New Delhi: Environment activists raised objections over planting of thousands of saplings at Diplomatic Enclave in the national capital, saying that there is no dearth of trees in the area and that the authorities are “ensuring oxygen for embassies”.
On Saturday, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) planted a total of 60,000 saplings at ten places in the national capital.
Stating this as an “experimental project”, to be done during the monsoon, Mr Nitin Kumar, section officer (SO) of Horticulture, said, “We are putting up a ground cover to reduce the amount of dust. Therefore, we have started planting saplings. So far, we have initiated the work at many venues that include Vijay Marg, Akbar Road, Prithviraj Marg.”
However, activists said that the area is already green and it doesn’t need plantation on such a large scale. “The irony is that most plantation is being done at those areas which are already the greenest. I don’t understand why plants are not being put in west and north Delhi. The green cover is the lowest in those areas,” said Chhavi Methi, a 42-year-old environmentalist.
Mr Kumar agreed that though there isn't much need of plantation in this area, but this is part of the NDMC’s regular monsoon project.
“It is the areas under the MCD and DDA that require more plantations,” he added.
Concerned over the situation, Ms Methi, said that the agencies are chopping off trees in the populous area for their commercial concerns, and the authorities are just making a fool of the people by blaming one another.
“It's not fruitful to plant trees at a place where the population cluster is so low. After the plantation is done, the authorities are never concerned whether the plant survives or not,” she alleged.