While on one hand the authorities claim that they are committed to make Dehradun clean and green, on the other hand the Forest Department is failing to prevent unnecessary axing of green trees for construction works in the State capital. local environmentalists aver that they are not against the axing of trees for development provided the compensatory plantation is ensured. However, they stress that they will continue to oppose the unnecessary felling of green trees allowed purportedly for development works in the city.
Recently, there were strong protests by environmentalists and local auto-rickshaw drivers against felling of trees along the boundary of the old PWD Store at Tehsil Chowk. Protesters forced the timber contractor to stop axing of two trees which were right at the boundary of the campus. The matter is now pending and waiting for the return of Dehradun divisional forest officer from leave. A memorandum was submitted to the Forest department by Citizens for Green Doon alleging that the department was lax in controlling the unnecessary felling of trees and that trees coming in the setback area of buildings were being axed even though there could be no construction at the site according to the municipal by laws.
According to CFGD chief coordinator Dr Nitin Pandey, the forest department claims that it wants the civil society to interact with it, yet their appeals to the Dehradun DFO to interact with them on the issue of tree felling have gone unheeded. He said that recently there have been umpteen cases when dozens of trees have been axed under the guise of construction, while the spot where the trees stood were not meant to have any construction done. He wondered whether this was due to laxity or facilitated deliberately.
It now remains to be seen whether the department continues this approach or actually executes measures aimed at keeping the State capital green.