IT DOES NOT END
The story is an old one; it plays repeatedly on self-loop,
only thing that changes is the people and the environments that are affected.
Despite numerous laws around the protection of trees, the rampage never ceases.
The cause is as old as ages, and there is zero will to implement these laws by
the law enforcers.
It all started last year when MCD was constructing cemented
roads in our society in Pitampura, Delhi. These people forgetting their duties
and feeling omnipotent with their machines of destruction started destroying
everything that came in the way, setting a model, an example before the other
phases of construction. Despite our repeated pleas and reminders of the laws
governing tree felling, MCD upon insistence of one of our neighbours –Prem Lal
Khanna and his family felled numerous trees, and when we said we would file
complaint, they hid the trees, and then quickly towed them away:
Step
1: When you are MCD, you savagely destroy anything in your way
(Contract in the hands of some Mr. Khan)
Step2: Hide in the park until tow truck comes
Step 3: Load it up,
hide under dry branches and tow away
We made repeated calls to forest department, to the chief
conservation officer, two representatives from this department came and said
that at least the trees in front of our house would be protected, and we were
pacified with this assurance and forest department itself took no action
against these people.
PART II
IT DOES END
A year passed, our neighbours forever unsettled, were
waiting for any excuse to fell the trees in front of our own house, their
youngest son even declared that “I’m not my father’s son if I don’t get this
tree cut off”. Few weeks before today,
some branches of one of our tree, started drying up, these were towards the
side of this neighbour’s house, so anyone can guess what might have happened.
Under pretext of some renovations, one day in the quite of a hot and humid
afternoon, these people cut down two of
the trees that forest department so assuredly vouched for only a year
before and created a shameless scene, embellished with all the name calling and
vulgar obscenities as is the character of such people.
Fell in a moment what took years to grow
On lodging complaint, the police has forwarded the case to
horticulture department as this case is their prerogative. Quoting chief conservation
officer, forest department Mr. A. K. Shukla, “Since the trees were not on your
property, I can do nothing about it”. We had high hopes in these guardians of
trees, reading glorified reports in the newspapers, but today, I’m
disappointed, slowly turning impassive regarding any good change, I agree with
forest officer, we really can do nothing about it. Delhi is definitely going
green and greener.
About Author:
Rochana Chaturvedi is
a Professor of Computer Science in Delhi University since past three years. In her free time, she enjoys arts, nature, traveling and reading
amongst many other. Besides being a good singer, she enjoys writing
poetry though seldom publishes them on her blog. However, she can be
caught blogging sometimes at http://rochanachaturvedi.blogspot.in.
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