Saving the Trees !  

Trees and plants provide innumerable benefits, not only to mankind, but to the animals, birds and insects as well. That is why our saints and sages have always emphasised mankind to plant more and more trees and take a good care of them from time to time. A study / research done around ten years ago, has established that if a tree which lives for a period of 50 years, provides us the benefits at least worth Rs.50.00 lakhs, in form of shade, oxygen, wood, raw material for making so many medicines, timber and shelter to the animals and birds etc., apart from the fact that some trees also provide us sweet and juicy fruits, to eat and thus improving our health and nutrition. As such, NDMC's drive to save the trees is worth appreciation.
 
I have already written some articles on saving the trees (which were published in HT a few years ago), however, a few things which need to be looked into urgently, are given below :-
 
1.            When we originally plant trees, some iron-rings up to the height of 5/6 feet are fixed around the saplings to protect them from being eaten away by some stray animals. With the passage of time, trees grow up, but the iron-rings fixed around them at the sapling stage are not removed. As a result of it, these iron rings start piercing into the trees, causing them a constant pain and sufferings. I have myself seen more than 150 such trees with pierced iron rings into the tree-trunks around Nehru Stadium and other parts of Delhi also, but they were not removed despite the fact that my article bringing put this lapse was published in HT more than ten years ago. Hence, I feel that a survey of entire Delhi needs to be conducted to remove all such pierced iron-rings, wherever they are noticed.
 
2.            Some companies or the educational institutes often fix their advertisement banners on the branches of the trees or electric / telephone poles etc. It has also been observed that the strings remain tied to the trees / electric / telephone poles etc. for years together. Apart from the fact that such strings start piercing into the trees after 8-10 months, they also give shabby look. Hence, these deserve to be removed at the earliest. Hence, NDMC or some other Govt. agency should issue a warning to the publish / companies / institutes to remove their advertisement banners within two weeks and also cut the strings from the trees, failing which some financial penalty should be imposed.

3.            One more exercise needs to be done. As the traffic grows very rapidly everywhere and the roads are widened / broadened from time to time.  As a result of this road widening process, some trees which were earlier on the edge of the roads, come in the middle of road, and hence, cause a big hindrance in the free flow of traffic. Accordingly, NDMC should remove all such trees which have come in the middle of the roads and work as an obstacle in the free flow of traffic and also cause accidents. 
 
4.            Spraying / washing the trees once every quarter shall be a good exercise, as it not only removes dust which has remained settled on the leaves of the tress, but it also makes the trees look dirty and ugly. It is a matter of common knowledge that after rains or washing, trees supply us pure oxygen which is very essential to breath for every living organism. And this uninterrupted supply of pure oxygen ensures that we all remain free from the diseases like cold / cough and asthma also, to a great extent. Hence, this exercise should be undertaken periodically, as it is being done in USA and some other European countries as well.

5.            Some trees develop some disease or infection and as a result of which, they shed / lose their all leaves. This situation leads the trees to go dry and only their trunks and branches keep on standing, practically a dead tree. I feel that it shall be prudent to cut / uproot all such trees and new ones should be planted in their place.

6.          And lastly, trees near the houses and big buildings also develop big branches which sometimes, pose a threat to the walls of the houses / buildings etc. Such dangerous branches of the trees should be better chopped off to save the houses from the impending danger.
 
If the NDMC may deem fit, they can also utilise my services for the above mentioned tasks, but it should also be ensured that this exercise does not remain limited to the NDMC area only, rather, it should be better extended to the entire Delhi, because, I believe in the slogan -  Green Delhi, Clean Delhi, Healthy Delhi.

R.D. Bhardwaj “Noorpuri”
 
Dated : 8th Feb., 2010