NEW DELHI: The capital’s greenery is running for cover with the survival rate of trees dropping to an abysmal low. To check it, Delhi’s Forest and Wildlife Department wants a court-monitored third party audit of plantation targets given to infrastructure development agencies, which will also examine the survival rate of trees.
“Agencies should take responsibility of plantation targets. Their refusal to share their reports regarding plantation hampers the overall effort of a green Delhi. We don’t have the authority to conduct an audit in these departments, and the numbers sent by them are not in black and white. An audit by a third party will help in giving a clearer picture,” said A K Shukla, Chief Forest Conservator.
As per the records from the Forest and Wildlife Department, the major defaulters in providing the number of trees planted and yearly target completion reports are Airport Authority of India, Delhi Cantonment Board, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), IPGCL and Northern Railways. The overall yearly target falls short by around two lakh trees.
According to the policy, 10 trees should be planted for each tree that is cut. Land is identified for plantation before starting a project after approval from the department. A safe deposit fee—`34,500 for an individual and `57,500 for an agency—is taken by the department for compensatory plantation, half of which is returned after five years, the time taken for a sapling to bloom into a tree.
According to senior officials of the department, infrastructure agencies such as DMRC and Public Works Department identify land to plant trees, which is not enough when the saplings grow in four years, which defeats the very purpose of plantation.