The Delhi High Court NEERAJ SHARMA v/s VINAY SHEEL SAXENA & ORS. observed that must not be allowed to be cut needlessly or wantonly.
The Hon’ble Bench observed that “In this capital city with its ever-burgeoning populating, the cacophony of voices and rampant commercialization of every other street – robbing the residents of the familiar ambience of their residential neighbourhood, the ever-increasing motor-vehicular traffic, the choking air-pollution and the ever-creeping concretization, trees hold out as welcome and assuring living entities of hope, sanity, environmental redemption and even companionship.”
It was brought to the notice of the Court that a tree is cut down every hour in Delhi under official sanction. On hearing this, the Bench suggested that it will be logical and prudent to transplant fully grown trees instead of cutting them down. It further directed the department of Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) of the Delhi Government to file an affidavit detailing the following aspects:
the number of permitted trees to be cut down in the last three years, month-wise and zone-wise;
how many trees were transplanted, if any;
how many compensatory afforestation has been completed and the status of each compensatory afforestation with photographs.
Giving a wider explanation of the duties and responsibilities of a Tree officer. It observed that “The Tree Officer is repository of public faith and trust, that trees which form an essential part of people's lives are not allowed to be cut needlessly or wantonly. The statutory duty cast upon the Tree Officer necessarily requires assessment of the necessity to cut a tree for the project for which the permission is sought. A site visit would be prudent. The shortage of Tree-Officers, necessary support staff, cannot be an excuse for granting permission for cutting down trees in the city.”