Supreme Court orders tree census

Representative image
| Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV

The Supreme Court orders the Tree Authority and the Forest Research Institute to conduct tree census.

They will take guidance from a three-member expert committee.

The court directs that any decision by a Tree Officer permitting the felling of over 50 trees must be vetted by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).

The court observed that preservation of trees is the primary duty of a Tree Officer, who should not allow their felling in mechanically passed orders.

The Supreme Court proposed a tree census to be conducted by the Tree Authority in the national capital by employing the Forest Survey of India (FSI).

A Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and Manmohan also highlighted the need for a supervisory authority over Tree Officers under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said both the FSI and the Forest Research Institute were equipped to conduct the tree census.

The court also highlighted cases in which trees were pruned to their own destruction. The Bench said it would examine whether prior permission was required to prune trees in the capital.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed the laws on trees are for saving and not cutting them. The bench had recently criticised the Delhi government for the lack of progress in taking steps to enhance the green cover and said it would appoint an external agency to suggest measures for its enhancement.