Open letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University

Vice-Chancellor

University of Delhi

Delhi – 110 007

INDIA

Dear Sir,

Hope you are doing good and keeping well. Unfortunately, and much to the shock of many, the green cover and the ‘heritage’ trees in the university campus, about 500m from your office are not.

A little over an year ago, the unscientific marking and the felling of a large number of trees in the campus was highlighted by the students and the faculty of Delhi University. This was well appreciated by you sir, with an assurance that the matter would be adequately probed. Also, after carrying out signature campaigns and submitting petitions to your office, we were further assured that the trees in the campus will be given the due importance that they deserve. However, the situation today is far from that.

The tress around the university sports complex, that were marked for felling are now being transplanted elsewhere. It is as if a foetus is being taken out from one womb and being put into another. And though it has been said that similar transplantation measures in other parts of the city largely failed to ‘deliver’, no significant measures were taken to ensure a successful transplantation drive in the campus. There were no experts present either during the digging process or when the deeply cut roots of the trees were being packed into the sacks.

The sports complex has itself been brought down with no information as to what would replace it. The fact that the sports complex is next to the Kamla Nehru Ridge and the Vice-Regal Lodge; a protected green space and a heritage site respectively, we fear that any large-scale construction may result in adversely impacting the above two sites. This will further affect the university’s ambient environment and also affect the rich biodiversity that thrives in the campus.

We therefore re-request you to kindly look into the matter urgently and ensure that the University of Delhi does not lose its very essence and values.

Yours sincerely,

Students, DU