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Judgment
Grievance of applicants is for removal of 30 Vilayti Kikar (Prosopis Juliflora) at Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. It is submitted that the applicants are nature enthusiasts and they along with the residents of Vasant Vihar, New Delhi and environmentalists have taken upon themselves to enrich biodiversity of Delhi-NCR. The applicants have adopted a park of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) located at Munirka Marg, Vasant Vihar, for its holistic development and in pursuance of this objective, they have taken initiative and completed all the civil work required in the park i.e, repairing of walls, cleaning of heaps of garbage, watering the existing plants etc., with the help of the residents of Vasant Vihar and SDMC. They have also planted various native trees in that park and have also involved an environmental agency to grow a mini forest inside that park and develop the same into a unique education park, first of its kind at all India level. However existence of 30 tress of the Vilayti Kikar (Prosopis Juliflora) in that park is threat to the native trees planted in the park. It is well established that Vilayti Kikar (Prosopis Juliflora) is a non-native and invasive species which are known to compete with local or native species and drive them to extinction by adversely affecting the physio-chemical structure of the Soil. Being an invasive tree, it has superior competitive ability and can displace the native species by influencing their growth and seed germination. It has been also been established by the research studies that Vilayti Kikar has also an adverse impact on the water table as it sucks the water and nutrients from the soil at much faster rate and thus substantially lowers the water table in the area.
It is submitted that applicants have constantly been writing to the authorities concerned for removal of these 30 trees of Vilayti Kikar from the park but none of them have so far replied to the applicants’ letters and nor has any action been taken by them.
In view of above, we direct Divisional Forest Officer, South Delhi to look into the grievance of the applicant and take necessary action, if so, required.
The application stands disposed of accordingly.
A copy of this order, along with a copy of the complaint, be forwarded to Divisional Forest Officer, South Delhi by e-mail for compliance.