Lutyens' losing 250 trees a year, NDMC to find out why

New Delhi: After data revealed that the Lutyens' Delhi area here is losing as many as 250 trees per year, amounting to a loss of around 1,813 trees in the last six years, including 300 heritage trees, the New Delhi Municipal Council has decided to launch an exercise to pinpoint specific reasons for such loss of trees.

The civic body officials have prima facie found that the trees are being uprooted because of concretisation, frequent road cutting, trench less utilities work, ageing, termite and type of soil (sandy gravel soil) and the exercise will focus on suggesting remedial measures to save existing trees in the region. "We are losing nearly 250 trees per year in the NDMC area which is a big number.

The NDMC areas are home to the high and mighty of the country, including Union ministers and parliamentarians besides many top industrialists. Parliament House, offices of all the ministries, Supreme Court and residence of Supreme Court judges, senior bureaucrats and senior military officers are in NDMC areas.

This is a growing concern and it calls for corrective actions and efforts to ascertain reasons," S Chellaiah, director (horticulture) of NDMC, told.

"We are starting an exercise to examine fallen and dead trees to find out precise reasoning behind such a rapid fall of trees. We will use modern techniques and take help from experts to know all possible factors leading to felling or decay of trees, especially the heritage ones," he added. "In the NDMC area, most of the utility pipelines, wires, cables are laid underground without any trench. Roads are frequently cut to repair such utilities that damage roots which make the tree vulnerable for termite or fungal attack and the tree decays," he said.

"Heritage trees are commonly those which are above 80 years old. Currently, there are around 15,000 indigenous trees that are almost a century old and need more advanced care and conservation," he said. According to a survey conducted by the NDMC, out of 1,813 trees, 559 were uprooted trees, 783 were dead and dry trees while 424 trees were cut for construction activities between 2015-16 and 2021-22.

The NDMC is losing heritage pilkhan trees on Zakir Hussain Road; neem trees on Abdul Kalam Road and Prithviraj Road, Shahjahan Road; peepal trees on Mandir Marg, Panchsheel Marg, Mother Teresa Road, Sardar Patel Marg; arjun trees on Janpath, Mother Teresa Road, Teen Murti, BKS Marg.