17.1.09

Somewhere in Delhi....


The next time you think of cutting down a tree, think twice as you might be asked to plant more than you cut. In an unprecedented order, a trial court has ordered an old man, accused of felling 42 trees six years ago, to plant five trees for each one felled ‘‘to minimize the effect of the wrong committed by..’’ him. Convicting 67-year-old Surender Vasudeva, who cut down various trees of Peepal, Sheesham and Neem for his personal use in 2003, Metropolitan Magistrate Devender Kumar Jangla directed the accused, ‘‘to plant five trees for each tree cut by him. The convict shall plant 210 trees within one month under intimation by the probation officer.’’ It also asked the probation officer to supervise the plantation of the trees. The court said, ‘‘The trees are the lungs of the city. The preservation of trees is the utmost duty of every citizen. The Delhi Preservation of Trees Act was enacted to provide safeguard for the preservation of trees.”

No comments: