ASI chopping trees at Red Fort

NEW DELHI: There may be a court order preventing any kind of alterations within the premises of the Red Fort, but the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) seems to consider itself a cut above such restrictions.
ASI has gone ahead and fell several trees within the historic fort’s ramparts. Many trees have been pruned so heavily that complete branches have been lopped off.
It is illegal to fell or prune any tree so drastically without the prior permission of the forest department.The breach was detected by forest department officials on a routine visit of Red Fort. "They saw that a few trees have been fell and several others almost mutilated because of extremely heavy pruning," said a forest department official.
While he desisted from stating how many trees have been fell, unofficial sources say about 68 trees have been chopped off.
ASI officials, however, deny that any trees have been cut inside Red Fort and insist that at the most it may be a case of heavy pruning. "Someone did bring to my notice that one of the trees was pruned much more heavily than it should have been. But there was no felling. I have ordered an inquiry, but I’m yet to receive the report," said ASI director-general C Babu Rajiv.
Forest officials say while trees within public view have been pruned heavily, those in the restricted area are completely uprooted and the timber carted out by truckfuls. They say the department was conducting an investigation to ascertain exactly how many trees have been cut. "We can put a number to it only when we get the report," the official said. It has also reportedly issued a notice to the ASI in this connection.