Local bodies exercising exigency provision to do away with dangerous trees
Himachal Pradesh which is facing a unique and emergency situation of choosing between life and vast natural wealth decided to choose the latter as current rainfury debunked the years-old notion of a blanket ban on green felling.
The forest management followed by the hill state ardently for the last seventy to eighty years became a headache for the government as it is simplifying rules by allowing the felling of certain scheduled species of trees in the habitable area. The new Congress government decided recently to rid off all deadwood and salvaged trees which remained redundant in the habitations and forest.
Recently up rooting of a large number of Devodar, Oak, and other trees in all parts of the state damaged houses, and vehicles and took several lives forcing civil authorities to exercise the extraordinary powers vested with these to get rid of old trees that have lived their lives and vulnerable and dangerous as many of them are tangling on the parking, roads, houses, school, parks, private and government colonize.
Shimla MC already exercises administrative power vested with SDM Urban to immediately cut a number of trees that may fall on the building and dislodge the foundation of the building by falling down during heavy rainfall.
It is worthwhile to mention that during snow season number of old Devodar trees and their branches and tops fell down on power and cable lines especially in VVIP areas like Oak over, Rajbhawan, US club IGMC, and Richmond to Ramchander choke it causing devastation. According to civil authorities, a number of trees have lived as Deodar trees could serve from 120 to 135 years.
Not only urban local bodies but now rural bodies are feeling used by exigency provisions to rid of the dangerous trees threatening the lives of animals and human beings many of these trees are Eucalyptus and Pines.
Interestingly on August 24, 2023 office of Gram Panchayat Kakkar of Development Block Bhoranj in Hamirpur district also published a public notice to the general public of the panchayat that in view of heavy rains by the panchayat, it was decided to remove all the trees which are hovering over houses or cow sheds and may cause any mishaps.
A resolution passed by the Gram Panchayat said that people should ensure that there should not be any trees in the government or non-government buildings which may cause damage to the building.
The resolution of the Panchayat copy said that it wants all the trees that are above the houses, cowsheds, and other buildings should be cut and removed within a week, otherwise, the owner of the tree will be fully responsible for the damage caused by the falling of the tree.
