Temperature teaser spurs save-tree bid
Over the past seven years streets and flyovers silently invaded into the city’s green cover, intensifying the prickly heat.
Since 2007, around 8,500 trees were brought down across the city for various construction and infrastructure projects, including widening of roads.
Environmentalists alleged that the extensive tree-felling over the years contributed to the rise in average summer temperature and uncomfortable index.
Ashok Ghosh, member, State Level Expert Appraisal Committee — a technical panel of the state environment impact assessment authority, said “Since plants have an auto-cooling mechanism, the green cover absorbs a lot of solar heat. On the other hand, the non-green areas reflect heat, leading to heating up of the atmosphere. Today, Patna is filled with such non-green areas. For instance, the trees that stood around 10 years ago along the Gardiner Road are not visible today.”
Dipak Kumar Singh, the environment and forests secretary, has issued an order to check the loss of green cover, stating that the approval from the Patna divisional forest officer (DFO) alone was no more enough to bring down trees.
Principal Chief Conservator of forest
The permit would be issued only after principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) reviews the necessity of cutting down the trees.
Dipak said, “The decision has been taken to prevent unnecessary felling of trees. It has been observed that for some project or the other different (government) agencies exert pressure on the Patna DFO over and over again for allowing them to cut down trees. The PCCF has now been introduced in the process to raise the decision-making level in giving approval for tree-felling. Without the written consent of the PCCF no approval on tree-felling in Patna would now be given.”
Gopal Singh Patna DFO said, for some ambitious projects including Bihar Museum (popular as international museum), extension building of Patna High Court, International Convention Centre and Jagdeopath-Sheikhpura Mor flyover, the permission for felling a few hundred trees had recently being given.
Felling of the standing trees under these projects has been prohibited by Dipak. Before arriving at a final decision on the same, the PCCF would now review the necessity of bringing down them.
Dipak said, “Considering the limited span of planting trees in the Patna urban area, all potential steps should be taken to save the existing trees. The permission to cut such trees should be given only when it is extremely necessary.”
The demolitions of concrete/paver block around trees, which stall their growth, have also been ordered by the environment and forests secretary.
Source: The Telegraph
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