Did you know Lucknow is one of the 10 most polluted cities in India? Well, now that you know, what do you think the government is trying to do, plant more trees and reduce pollution in innovative ways right? Wrong. Here’s what’s going to happen. Next year, a whopping number of around 64k trees will be chopped along the Gomti river for the Defence Expo to be held in February. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited( HAL) will be hosting the Defence Expo and the land after clearance of trees will be handed over to them. The lush greenery of around 64k trees adorning the Hanuman Setu to the Nishatganj bridge will be just heartlessly felled. And the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has already asked the Lucknow Nagar Nigam to carry this out through a letter.
What’s In It?
The LDA in the letter has further stated that new trees need to be planted after the Expo is over. And sincere efforts need to be made to transplant them. Nagar Nigam will even be giving LDA ₹59 lakhs for new plantation in that area. The secretary of LDA, M P Singh has said that they had spent the same amount for planting trees along the Gomti river in the first place. Nagar Nigam had previously given the suggestion of relocation of trees to a different site. New plants could be planted to the riverside after the event. But the season is not suitable for transplantation. A senior official even said that if the trees are relocated, they will die. The landscaping and plants in that area by the river will also have to be redone later.
Also Read: Over 60% Trees Transplanted By Mumbai Metro From Aarey Forest Are Dead
But in spite of all this, the LDA still wants the area completely cleared by 15th January 2020. The land will be handled to the organizer of the Defence Expo. Lucknow is hosting its first-ever Defence Expo, where guests from several countries will be invited to witness India’s defence power. The Expo will be held from 5th to 8th February to showcase the latest weapons and arms available with the defence forces of our country. Which brings me to the question, that is it really worth chopping down trees which are years old, for an event that will be held for hardly 3 days. Is it really worth it? It’s quite saddening to see trees mercilessly chopped down and transplanted in a shoddy way for the heck of it like the Aarey Forest case. We hope some good sense prevails, and trees won’t be chopped down in such a cruel manner. Check out 2Tree Cafe In Delhi Plants 2 Trees For Every 1 Cup Of Coffee