How important is the health of a tree? Serious enough to warrant a notice stipulating a fine of Rs.5.4 lakh? A report by IE points out that the National Museum in Delhi has been sent a notice imposing on it a whopping fine of Rs 5.40 lakh! Yes, you read the figure correctly. Curious to know why the fine has been imposed in the first place? It is for concretising the base of 54 trees and being legally responsible for impacting their health. As per the notice dated August 30, the fine has to be paid immediately.
The IE report further cites a museum official’s statement that the horticulture section of the National Museum in Delhi is managed by the Central Public Works Department. The implication seems to be that ‘the CPWD’ has to take a final call.
The lingering question is – will the fine of Rs.5.4 lakh be paid or challenged legally? If yes, who will ‘bell the cat’ and take legal responsibility for the same – the National Museum or the CPWD?
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Six years ago, the National Green Tribunal strictly banned concretisation of the base around all trees in Delhi. Authorities were directed to ensure compliance of the stringent order while constructing footpaths and roads.
The NGT order stated the following:
1. An area within a one-metre radius of a tree trunk has to be spared from being concretised around its base.
2. The authorities are not allowed to dig the road within a metre of the tree itself.
3. In case this is not adhered to, the offence attracts a fine of Rs 10,000 for every concretised tree.
Clearly, the NGT order has struck a stringent note to ensure the preservation of trees in Delhi. The reality check, however, is that very little done is to implement it.
People, including most authorities, have done little to understand the basics of ‘why do we need trees’ and ‘how trees are useful for us?’
Worldwide, there is a global movement towards highlighting the values of trees and bringing forth ‘green museums’ to align with a country’s sustainability goals.
For instance, the famous Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has several striking ‘green’ features that make it an environment-friendly place to explore such as its outdoor exhibit garden adjacent to the main entrance, which includes a rain barrel system as well as a demonstration compost bin. In addition, there is a perma-culture garden with a variety of trees, native flowers, medicinal as well as edible herbs.
Recall Rabindranath Tagore’s famous quote on trees ‘Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.”
Gone are the days when there was intuitive awareness in India about preserving natural surroundings as in the past. Now, there is little or no understanding that roots of trees need to breathe, just as they require water, care and nutrients. All around, you can see more and more concretisation of trees. This trend may continue as more concrete jungles are shooting up.
The tragic reality is that we remain disturbingly oblivious to the hard hitting truth that our ignorance is snuffing out the precious life of trees. One can only nurture a wishful hope that the inhabitants of earth make endless efforts to preserve the listening trees that are silently dying.
