HC directs officials to ensure no trees cut on land next to Mazar-e-Ghalib

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed authorities to ensure that no trees are cut without following due process on a land adjacent to the protected monuments of Mazar-e-Ghalib and Chaunsath Khamba here.

The court was hearing a petition by Hazrat Nizamuddin Welfare Association, an NGO, highlighting that fully grown 100-year-old trees in an open land adjacent to Mazar-e-Ghalib and Chaunsath Khamba situated at the entrance gate of Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya here are being cut.

Mazar-e-Ghalib is celebrated Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib’s tomb.

The court asked the authorities to ensure that all the trees at the site remain intact and are protected and no tree are cut down without following due process.

Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice to deputy conservator of forests (South), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), CEO of Delhi Waqf Board and the concerned Delhi Police officials on a petition and asked them to file their status reports within two weeks.

“Respondents are directed to ensure all trees are kept intact and protected and no tree is cut down without following the due process,” the high court said while listing the matter for further hearing on September 17.

Advocate Mujeeb Ahmed, representing the petitioner, said 100-years-old trees are being cut down by erecting high rise tine sheds with an intention to carry out illegal construction over the land.

He said they noticed that high rise tin sheds were put around the trees in July and now some trees exist there while some wood logs are lying on the land.

The plea said the petitioner gave a complaint to the police but the builder mafia again started illegal activities of deforestation and when the association filed another complaint with the authorities they did not pay any attention or bother to stop illegal cutting down of the trees.

It sought action against cutting down of trees at the land and directions to the MCD to remove the tin sheds which have been installed “illegally” to cut trees and to carry out “illegal” construction adjacent to the protected monuments.