Delhi residents wait for tree pruning as approvals slow after court stay

Three to four dead trees in Krishna Park, East of Kailash, have drawn complaints from residents who say falling branches have hit people walking in the park. Kalika Dhingra, an RWA member from D Block, said residents also approached their local councillor.

In CR Park’s G Block, residents say they have waited more than two months for action on three trees: one that has broken a park boundary, one leaning over an 8-metre-wide road, and an old decayed bael tree. Their complaint, submitted to MCD in May, was forwarded to the forest department in July.

The delays follow a Delhi High Court stay in May on a Delhi government SOP that allowed light pruning of branches with a girth below 15.7 cm without a tree officer’s approval. MCD said it applied for permission to prune 2,224 trees in June and July, including 1,476 resident complaints; approvals came for 413 cases. It also forwarded 416 requests to remove dangerous trees to the forest department.

MCD says field staff begin work after approvals and that it sends status reports to the forest department. The department has four territorial tree officers for Delhi’s 13 districts, alongside a conservator of forests who also serves as a tree officer.