Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Feb 25: Violations of official permissions for pruning dry Chinar trees have raised serious concerns in Anantnag, as fresh and healthy branches have been indiscriminately cut down in multiple areas, including Ranibagh Park, Sarnal, and Kadipora.
The large-scale felling has cast doubts on the Government’s conservation efforts for Kashmir’s iconic Chinar trees.
Locals alleged that while authorities granted limited permission to contractors for pruning dried branches, many misused these approvals to extract maximum wood, causing severe damage to the trees. Several once-thriving Chinar trees now stand in ruins due to reckless chopping.
According to official records, permission for lopping was granted after a dried Chinar branch fell and seriously injured a woman at Sherbagh Park on Sept 22, 2024.
The District Floriculture Officer, in an official letter (No. FOA/FD/1873-76), sought approval to prune hazardous branches through an open auction. Permission was granted under Section 152 BNSS, with strict conditions, including auctioning the lopped wood, depositing the proceeds in the Government treasury, and planting two new Chinar saplings near the affected trees.
Despite these conditions, locals allege that contractors have exploited the permission to cut healthy branches under the guise of pruning. “The Government talks about conserving Chinars through programs like geo-tagging, but at the same time, it allows reckless chopping,” said a resident. He added, “Soon, only name tags will remain, while the trees themselves will disappear.”
The Chinar tree, deeply rooted in Kashmir’s history and culture, is a protected species under the Jammu and Kashmir Preservation of Specified Trees Act, 1969. Even pruning requires official approval, yet large-scale violations continue unchecked.
District Floriculture Officer Anantnag, Mazhar Mustafa Ansari, defended the pruning, saying that it was carried out to remove hazardous branches endangering visitors. “At Ranibagh, there were many dry branches in trees. We had written multiple times to the administration, and in September 2023, we reminded the Deputy Commissioner after a tourist was injured by a falling branch. Following that, we received permission for pruning,” he said.
Ansari further added that according to the department’s 2018 census, Anantnag had 6,222 Chinar trees. “We are also conducting plantation drives and have planted 3,500 more Chinar saplings,” he said.
Residents are now demanding strict action against those responsible for the violations and greater enforcement of conservation laws to prevent further destruction of these heritage trees.
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