Deforestation for development will spell disaster

Disturbing developments concerning rampant defiling of the State’s natural environment continue to make a mockery of our ritualistic celebration of World Environment Day. With the government in a tearing hurry to facilitate ‘development’ at any cost, an intrusive and insensitive development process has set in, and any reversal of this perverse trend seems unlikely. Rampant felling of mature trees in particular has emerged as a singular feature of this thoughtless development model, with trees cut down in their tens of thousands across the State. A few months back, some trees near the Rabindra Bhawan area on the GNB Road were chopped, ostensibly for facilitating the construction of a flyover – triggering a mass protest. When confronted by protesters, the PWD authorities took the alibi of “pruning” the trees for “translocation” whereas they had actually chopped off a fairly large portion of the trees. And if indeed they are planning for replantation after removing the trees, such an exercise ought to have been conveyed to the public earlier rather than chopping down trees clandestinely at midnight hours. Indeed, every time there is a development project such as road construction or renovation, the first and inevitable casualty are the trees, with no thought given to exploring environment-friendly options.

The capital city, which has been experiencing a noticeable rise in its temperatures, has parted with thousands of trees – most of those mature specimens and supporting wide-ranging biodiversity including birds, reptiles and insects – in the past two years to make room for so-called development. We have seen some huge and very old trees by the roadside in Kachari, Panbazar and Jawahar Nagar areas eliminated at the altar of stupid developmental obligations. Blinded by their myopic sense of development, the authorities have lost all sense of respect for the well-being of the natural environment and cannot think beyond chopping trees down whereas it is possible to facilitate the works without felling many of the trees by effective modifications in the design of the project. Only a fool will have to be told about the urgency to have more and more trees, especially in the urban landscape, to ease the effects of a looming climate crisis. At a time when our cities and towns are fast losing their greenery and breathing space – and are getting converted to heat chambers to make way for unbridled and unscientific expansion – a rethink of our development model is urgent. The trees that are being cut down in the city have been there for decades, providing cool shade to the commuters and checking atmospheric pollution. Having trees by roadsides assumes significance because they effectively reduce temperatures, filter dust and pollution, and provide shelter to birds and lesser animals.