Bhopal News: Over 10,000 Trees Lost In A Year, Experts Warn

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Over 10,000 trees have allegedly been felled in the state capital within a single year, while activists claim government agencies have shown a 0% success rate in transplanting trees over the past two decades.

This comes despite a fresh directive from the Jabalpur High Court that no tree in Bhopal shall be cut, pruned or transplanted without explicit permission from the court.

RTI activist Nitin Saxena alleged that after the formation of the nine-member High-Level Expert Committee (CEC) in Madhya Pradesh, some government departments exploited a loophole by labelling tree felling as “transplantation” to avoid mandatory approvals.

Officials from the CEC confirmed that agencies collectively sought clearance to remove over 22,300 trees for ongoing infrastructure projects.

Major requests included around 9,000 trees by NHAI for the 10-lane road and 12,000 for the Ayodhya Bypass project, around 1,000 trees by PWD for road widening across various parts of Bhopal, and about 300 trees by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation for multiple works, including the construction of Geeta Bhawan on 3.8 acres of land.

Environmental scientist Subhash C Pandey warned that tree loss in Bhopal has accelerated sharply. Government reports show the city lost 0.11 sq km of green cover three years ago, followed by 0.54 sq km in the subsequent two years.

Delhi’s Tree Transplantation Policy (2020)

Despite claims of transplantation, experts say operations in Bhopal are largely unscientific. Delhi’s Tree Transplantation Policy lists essential parameters such as species suitability, dormant-season relocation, intact root-ball protection, and year-long post-care to achieve nearly 80% survival rates. In Bhopal, none of these standards are followed by government agencies.

Expert warning

A senior environment scientist and CPCB member, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Free Press that tree transplantation in Bhopal has never succeeded and will continue to fail unless conducted under supervision of qualified experts or specialised private agencies capable of ensuring at least 80% survival rate.