New Delhi

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was penalized ₹80,000 and issued a notice of appeal in connection with overcast and missing trees in southeast Delhi, according to a submission by the Forest and Wildlife Department to the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The move came in response to a complaint filed with the court by a local resident in April this year, alleging that nine trees in Jangpura and Nizamuddin had been covered in concrete without the authorities taking any action.

However, structures around trees, such as walkways, require building authorities to maintain a one-meter clearance around the tree trunk, otherwise they are considered concrete trees.

“It was found that eight trees were encased in concrete within a radius of one meter around the tree trunk, in violation of the NGT directions. It is further reported that out of the nine trees, one tree was missing,” said the report submitted by South Deputy Forest Commissioner (DCF) Vipul Pandey on June 27 after an inspection in May.

In the request for comment, MCD was asked to provide details of the missing tree to determine whether it was felled illegally. ₹Under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, a fine of ₹10,000 was imposed for each tree encased in concrete.

“In addition, the forestry department completed the defortification work on its own after the land ownership department did not take any action,” the report said.

Trees throughout the city are numbered so that authorities can identify what actions, pruning or treatments need to be performed on a particular tree. The numbers also help identify a tree that has been illegally cut down.

According to experts, not only are trees not regularly de-concreted, but there are also no control actions to look for missing trees or check their health.

Verhaen Khanna, founder of New Delhi Nature Society (NDNS), said that despite clear rules requiring a one-metre radius around trees, no authority is willing to follow this rule. “The forest department has the power to remove trees on its own initiative and to penalise authorities who do not follow these rules. Unfortunately, neither the forest department nor any municipal or civic body is doing this,” Khanna said.

He said he had submitted a report to the MCD last month listing 118 trees that were concreted in Blocks A, B and C of New Friends Colony. “No action has been taken so far,” he said.

MCD did not respond to requests for comment.