Residents initiate tree census in CR Park
NEWDELHI: A group of residents in south Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park has come together to conduct a tree census of the neighbourhood. Starting with a pilot of 15 trees on Bipin Chandra Pal Road—a 1.7 km stretch that connects Greater Kailash and Alaknanda—which is going to be developed into a ‘model street’, the residents’ body plans to extend the exercise to the entire area.
Shapno Ekhon (Dream Now), a group of 25-30 residents, along with Green Community Initiative (GCI), another group of residents and urban planners from the area, have together conducted the pilot.
“The tree census will be the first such exercise of its kind in the area. The place has an interesting mix of fruit-bearing trees such as banana, papaya, bael, kathal, and drumsticks, among others. The census will serve a dual purpose of recording the biodiversity as well as data that will help in future interventions,” Shahana Chakravarty, 41, a resident of Block A and member of Shapno Ekhon, said.
The census is part of a project called Neighbourhood Diaries, under which the group has been holding programmes to connect with the heritage of the locality, she added.
Last year, the GCI had tied up with government agencies such as the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Delhi traffic police to develop Bipin Chandra Pal
Road into a smart road, work on which is yet to start.
“We wanted the census to start from here, as once the project starts, some of the trees and the foliage will need to be trimmed. Some trees on the stretch are healthy and full-grown while some are weaker. It will help us keep a record of the variety of trees here. The work is likely to start next month,” Ashok Bhattacharjee, convenor, GCI, said.
The South Delhi neighbourhood with a majority of the Bengali population was formed in the late 1960s to accommodate those who had been displaced during the Partition from erstwhile East Pakistan. At the time of its creation, it was named East Pakistan Displaced Persons (EPDP) Colony.
According to locals, it was an extension of the Southern Ridge and is known to have a large variety of native trees. “We started with a census of trees in a park in Block H; our volunteers included children from the colony. After this, the GCI approached us to conduct a census on the main road. The 15 trees counted on the 1.7 km stretch include Neem, Ashok, Amaltas and Ficus varieties. We are now creating a guidebook based on which we will carry out the census in the rest of the area,” Shomik Ray, secretary, Shapno Ekhon, said.
Green activist Padmavati Dwivedi, who helped the group carry out the pilot, said that a census is the most effective tool for conserving neighbourhood trees in cities.
“Delhi as a city has not had a tree census so far. Neighbourhoods like these, which have a rich variety of full-grown trees, must preserve them. The exercise combines both the elements of tree appreciation and scientific data collection while building a sense of ownership among residents,” Dwivedi, who had earlier conducted a tree census in Sarvodaya Enclave, said.