KOCHI :The Kerala High Court has directed the chief secretary to issue an order to ensure no tree along the state’s roads are removed simply because they obstruct commercial activities or cover buildings in shade.
Dismissing a petition filed by some Palakkad natives against the forest department’s rejection of their request to fell trees, the HC said trees can be removed only if they are damaged to the extent that they are posing a danger to people’s lives.
Justice P V Kunhikrishnan said a committee constituted by the government should take a call on felling trees. “Without such a decision, no trees on the roadside of the state shall be cut and removed by any authority,” he said.
Cutting trees without reason is massacre, says HC
The petitioners, Musthafa and others from Pattambi, had moved the HC against an order of the deputy conservator of forests rejecting their application to fell and remove trees near their building on the Palakkad-Ponnani road. They had claimed that the trees were posing a danger to the public and were also obstructing the view of their building.
In its order, the HC said trees provide cool shade, pure oxygen and shelter to birds and animals. “Cutting trees without any reason is nothing but a massacre of nature. To protect a building or a commercial activity of a citizen, trees cannot be cut and removed. There are instances where trees are protected by retaining them in a construction,” the HC said. At the hearing, special government pleader (forest) submitted that the trees were not hazardous to the life and property of the petitioner. However, the court said it was surprised to see that the assistant engineer, of PWD had stated the opposite.
The HC directed the government to take this issue “very seriously”. Action should be taken against the officers concerned if there is any dereliction of duty.