Slow death
source: The Hindu
You can see any number of trees being slowly strangulated by rings of
concrete or designer tiles along Delhi roads. Leaving open spaces around tree
trunks benefits only trees, filling up the gaps helps the contractor
Till a few decades ago most Delhi roads did not have footpaths. In
fact the level of the strips flanking the roads and meant for pedestrians was a
trifle lower than the level of most roads and it did not bother too many people,
because there wasn't too much traffic on the roads. Things began to change
rapidly in the early Eighties, the arrival of Maruti cars in 1983 led to an
explosion in the number of cars all over the country and most specifically in
Delhi.
People in New Delhi began to experience traffic jams, a phenomenon
that they associated only with Bombay and Calcutta and with Sadar Bazar and the
narrow streets of the old city. A desperate situation calls for desperate
measures and Delhi was not short of knee jerk reactions and quick fix solutions.
The need to come up with quick solutions was felt all the more acutely because a
series of events, some a little before the arrival of the automobile boom and
some close on its heels required Delhi to be presented in a crisp uniform with
tie in place, shoes shining and laces tied up in neat bows.
The World Trade Fair in 1981, the Asian Games in 1982, the Non
Aligned Summit in 1983, UNCTAD Conference in 1986 combined to create the Delhi
of flyovers and subways that we see all over the city today. The building of
flyovers and subways continues unabated gathering momentum and finding excuses
for more such structures the moment another event, like the Common Wealth Games,
looms across the horizon.
A precondition for building flyovers and subways is the widening
of roads -- the existing width is invariably taken up by the flyover, the
temporary roads built for traffic while the flyover is being built later turn
into slip roads. All this is fine and this is what happens all over the world,
but what happens to the pavements and, more importantly, what happens to the
trees that were planted when the earlier road was built decades ago?
Despite environmentalists raising the issue time and again and
despite several clear cut judicial directions outlining the space that needs to
be left open for trees on pavements, the agencies charged with the
responsibility of looking after roads and tree planting, continue to ignore
these concerns. The judicial directions are constantly ignored, except for a
small area in the New Delhi District. Is it possible that the directions, for
leaving enough space around the tree trunk to allow roots to breath and rain
water to reach them, are followed in letter and spirit in New Delhi because it
is here that the justices are likely to notice violations of their orders while
driving to and from the courts.
You can see any number of trees being slowly strangulated by rings
of concrete or designer tiles along Aurobindo Marg – opposite Azad Apartments,
along Jamal Nasir Marg -- opposite the IIT, along Ho Chi Minh Marg - opposite
Swami Nagar, Panchsheel Enclave, along Mathura Road -- specifically opposite the
Central Road Research Institute and right in the heart of New Delhi at
Subramania Bharathi Marg.
Leaving open spaces around tree trunks benefits only trees,
filling up the gaps helps the contractor. Trees cannot be made to pay illegal
gratification; builders are keen to do so. In any case trees are worth anything
only when they die and turn to wood.
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