How Would You Like Your Name Carved On Your Body?

When I returned from my field trip last month I noticed that someone had scraped off a part of the lower trunk of all the trees in and around North Campus and numbered them.

Delhi University Nursery Garden

After I enquired about it from one of the gardeners, he pointed towards the Kamla Nehru (North Delhi) Ridge and informed that sarkari karamchaaris from janglaat (Forest Department I believe) have done this so that no tree can be cut without their permission. Lately I have been noticing this in several other places of the capital as well.

Cavalry Lane

This is a horrifying way of protecting trees (if it is for that purpose). The bark has been removed to a considerable depth in some of the trees making them vulnerable to pest attack. At places it is so deep that it may have even damaged the nutrient transferring tissues of the trees. Besides it has also affected the University campus’ visual beauty.

VC’s office in the vicinity

The trees around the School of Environmental Studies, Botany Dept, and Central Science Library (CSL) in the Faculty of Science are yet to be treated in this brutal way (as on 20th March) and so I urge the Delhi Government and also the Delhi University’s Garden Committee to think things over and give it some sensible thought.