SRINAGAR: In a stark contradiction, the government is geo-tagging and equipping the iconic Chinar trees in the Valley with QR-code for digital protection while in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district 500-year-old Chinar trees are being allegedly felled, causing massive outrage in the society.
The locals alleged that the administration is felling Chinar trees in Ranibagh park in Anantnag.
Chinar, also known as maple tree and Boueen locally, is a distinctive feature of the Kashmiri landscape and is found in almost every part of the Valley.
Pictures purportedly showing Chinar trees being felled in the Rani Bagh public park have gone viral on social media. The felling of majestic chinars have taken place at a time when the government has launched geo-tagging to protect Chinar trees across the region.
“These pictures must be reported to the National Green Tribunal for cognisance and accountability,” said NC leader and local MLA Dr Bashir Ahmed Veeri in a post on X.
He said DC Anantnag should initiate a high-level inquiry and book the culprits for vandalizing public property impose heavy fines as a deterrent
Concerned over felling of chinars, Faiz Bakshi, convenor of the environmental group, Environmental Policy Group (EPG) said the felled chinars trees, believed to be over 500 years old, hold immense historical, cultural, and ecological value.
“Their destruction represents a blatant violation of laws established to protect such heritage. It is a grave injustice to the legacy of Kashmir,” he said.
According to Bakshi, felling of Chinars in Ranibagh, Anantnag is not an isolated incident. “Recent infrastructure development projects including widening of the Narbal-Delina road, saw uprooting of over 100 Chinar trees”.
The Chinar tree is a protected species under J&K Preservation of Specified Trees Act, 1969 and even pruning requires official approval.
“Chinar is an environmental beacon, offering vital ecological benefits and an antidote to shrinking green cover,” Faiz said and demanded an independent investigation into the felling of the chinars in Ranibagh and other similar incidents.
However, District Floriculture Officer Anantnag said only pruning of dried and hazardous branches of old Chinar trees was carried out at Ranibagh park with due authorization to ensure public safety.
“Following an open auction conducted on January 9, 2025, the process was conducted transparently and in accordance with regulations,” he said.
As per 2018 chinar census, there were 6222 chinars in Anantnag district.
Slamming the felling of Chinars, PDP leader Iltija Mufti said, “On even days J&K govt geo tags chinar trees promoting conservation but on odd days 500-year-old Chinar trees symbolising history & the very passage of time itself are felled. Infuriating & puzzling. No excuse whatsoever can justify this travesty.”
Civil society member Javed Dar said on one hand, the government is geo-tagging Chinar trees for conservation while on the other, who is giving permission to cut them down at Rani Bagh Anantnag? “Authorities must intervene immediately—no development project is more important than these heritage trees! “
“The government is actively geo-tagging Chinar trees to aid conservation efforts with spending millions of public taxpayers, yet on the other, how are permissions being granted for their removal at Rani Bagh, Anantnag? Authorities must take immediate action,” said an RTI activist Syed Adil.
“Centuries-old Chinars in RaniBagh, Anantnag, have been felled, erasing history and harming an ecosystem. This disregard for heritage must stop!,” said Sharif Khan, a Delhi based author and researcher.
He sought immediate intervention of DC Anantnag, local MLA and NC to prevent further destruction.