Vasant Vihar residents move to NGT against pruning of trees

The residents of Vasant Vihar claims that around 2000 of 7000 trees in the area are pruned ‘unscientifically’ and ‘illegally’ by Vasant Vihar Welfare Association. The residents are not happy with the Welfare Association’s act of ‘destroying’ the area’s green cover. According to residents of the area, the Welfare Association has slaughtered the trees in the name of pruning. The residents further said that the Welfare Association has no right to prune trees and slaughter them. “In November-December last year, the killing of trees took place in our area. We residents wrote about this to the Welfare Association but we got no reply. Then we wrote to MCD and again we got no reply and then after all of this, we approached the National Green Tribunal”, Dr Sanjeev Bagai, a resident of the area for the last 35 years and one who is fighting for the environmental cause said. Dr Bagai also informed that before going to NGT, an FIR was lodged at Vasant Vihar Police station “but, no action was taken because they was no implementation judiciary body”. “There are international studies, which show green cover protects from the high level of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide. Pollution directly impacts cardiopulmonary and mental health and mortality and therefore we must preserve the green environment for our next generation”, Dr Sanjeev Bagai said. According to Dr Bagai, trees were pruned in an unscientific manner by the Vasant Vihar Welfare Association and many trees which are butchered would soon fall and many have disappeared from the locality.