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Don't let trees be cut: DU scholars urge VC
Source: Toxics Link, Date: , 2007
The ongoing assualt on trees in the city is evoking reactions from those who have
lived and worked around them for decades and thus know their significance,
perhaps more than those indiscriminately writing them off from the
plans for modernisation. Over 75 people, including scholars, students and
staff, from University of Delhi have written to the Vice Chancellor Professor
Deepak Pental, stating their deep concern over reports of 1,000 trees on the
campus sports facility having been marked for felling to erect a rugby ground,
which will be used for the Commonwealth Games.
Following is the text of the letter, submitted om May 4, 2007, and list of
signatories:
Save Delhi University’s Green Heritage
Dear Professor Pental,
We were dismayed to read in the Hindustan Times (New Delhi, April 25,
2007) that 1,000 trees around the university sports ground are marked for
felling to make a rugby field for the Commonwealth Games 2010. We believe that
such large-scale destruction of invaluable old trees will seriously damage
Delhi University’s green heritage and our city’s already threatened
environment. We urge you to reconsider this project and halt the planned
tree-felling.
The beauty of our North campus lies in large part in its majestic trees.
Nowhere else in north Delhi can we find such a diversity of species. The
campus trees create a continuous green belt between the University and the
Ridge. They provide shade to our students for study and recreation, and to our
university employees a respite from Delhi’s gruelling heat. They are an
invaluable ecological habitat, sheltering diverse bird species, including the
red-crested flameback, the green pigeon, and the spotted owlet. They create
serenity and inspire scholarship. The campus will not be the same without
these trees.
We could accept the sacrifice of some trees for a project of great importance,
but felling so many for a one-time sports event is unjustified. We need
well-maintained multifunctional facilities for locally popular sports. Rugby
is not a major sport among our students but, if needed, the large university
ground near the Police Lines, Vijay Nagar, can be used for the purpose. You
may recall that, before the 1982 Asian Games, large stands of massive
putranjiva (Putranjiva roxburghii) and saptaparni
(Alstonia scholaris) trees were felled to make way for the University
sports complex. Trees that take decades to mature were cut to construct
buildings that have remained severely under-utilized for the last 25 years.
Surely we should not repeat our mistake?
Arguments such as compensatory afforestation and transplantation sound good on
paper but fail to convince on the ground. Young saplings planted elsewhere
cannot compensate for neighbourhood trees of great age, beauty and diversity.
Nor can they resettle displaced birds. Recent audits by environmental groups
also show that transplanted trees rarely survive. Neither
measure can compensate for tree loss on our campus.
As concerned teachers, students, and
citizens who work or live on the University campus, we appeal to you to cancel
the proposed project. As Vice-Chancellor, on whom rests responsibility for the
university’s long-term welfare, we urge you to protect these trees which are
our heritage, and ensure that they are not sacrificed to short term pressures.
SIGNATORIES TO APPEAL TO THE VICE CHANCELLOR, DELHI UNIVERSITY
(List of 75
signatures from Delhi Univ, of faculty, students and staff of the Institute of
Economic Growth, Depts of Economics and Sociology, Delhi School of Economics,
others)
Name
|
Designation and
affiliation
|
Signature
|
Amita Baviskar
|
Professor, Institute of Economic
Growth (IEG), Delhi Univ. campus
|
Hand signed
|
Bina Agarwal
|
Professor, Institute of Economic
Growth, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Pulin B. Nayak
|
Director, Delhi School of
Economics (DSE), Delhi Univ.
|
Hand signed
|
Kanchan Chopra
|
Director, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Mrinal Dutta Chowdhury
|
Professor, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
Jean Dreze
|
Professor, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
Partha Sen
|
Professor, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
Shreekant Gupta
|
Reader, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
B. Dutta
|
Professor, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
A. Bhattacharjea
|
Professor, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
K.L. Krishna
|
Professor, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
Tista Bacchi
|
Professor, Dept of linguistics,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
Satish Deshpande
|
Prof. Dept of Sociology, DU
|
Hand signed
|
Neera Chandhoke
|
Professor of Pol. Science,
DU
|
By email
|
Ashwini Deshpande
|
Reader, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
Nandini Sundar
|
Prof., Dept of Sociology,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
M.N. Murty
|
Professor(Rtd.) IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
B. Jha
|
Associate Prof., IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Pradeep Agrawal
|
Professor, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
B.N. Goldar
|
Professor, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Arup Mitra
|
Professor, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Nilabjha Ghosh
|
Associate Prof., IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
T.A. Bhavani
|
Professor, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Ram Singh
|
Reader, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
A. Banerji
|
Reader, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
S.Kar
|
Assoc. Prof. IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Veena Naregal
|
Assoc. Prof., IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
R.P. Tyagi
|
Asstt. Prof., IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Pravakar Sahoo
|
Associate Prof., IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Moneer Alam
|
Professor, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Rohini Somanathan
|
Reader DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
Deepak Mehta
|
Reader. Dept of Sociology,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
Meena Radhakrishanan
|
Reader. Dept of Sociology,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
Jayoti Gupta
|
Reader. Dept of Sociology,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
Sudha Vasan
|
Reader. Dept of Sociology,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
SIGNATORIES TO APPEAL TO THE VICE
CHANCELLOR, DELHI UNIVERSITY contd/-
Name
|
Designation and
affiliation
|
Signature
|
Meenakshi Thapan
|
Professor of Sociology
|
By email
|
Tila Kumar
|
Lecturer, Dept of Sociology,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
Anjali Bhatia
|
Reader, sociology, Lady Sriram College
|
By email
|
Pooja Gupta
|
Reader, DSE, DU
|
By email
|
Hemanshu Kumar
|
Lecturer(Adhoc) DSE, Delhi
Univ
|
Hand signed
|
Sanjeev Sharma
|
System Administrator, DSE,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
Nira Goyal
|
Lecturer, Econ. Deptt., DSE,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
Lokendra Kumawat
|
Lecturer, Eco. Ramjas College,
|
Hand signed
|
Dinesh Kumar
|
Junior OA, Centre for Dev.,
DU
|
Hand signed
|
Raghubansh Singh
|
Research Fellow, IEG,DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Gagandeep Kaur
|
R. Analyst, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Preeti Kaur
|
Data Entry Oper.IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Preeti Kapuria
|
Consultant, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Vikram Dayal
|
Assist. Prof., IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Shilpy Nagalia
|
Researh Officer, IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Preeti Upadhyay
|
Research Fellow, IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
S. Malini
|
R. Analyst, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Mayur Trivedi
|
Ass. Professor, IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Pradeep Guin
|
Jr. Consultant, IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Manoj K. Pandey
|
Jr. Consultant, IEG, DU
campus
|
Hand signed
|
Ram Ashish Yadav
|
R. Analyst, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Rajnish Kumar
|
SRA, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Palash Barua
|
RA, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Shailash Kumar
|
RA, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Kanishka Kachar
|
R Analyst, IEG, DU campus
|
Hand signed
|
Ankur Biswas
|
M.A. Student, DSE, DU
|
Hand signed
|
Suresh Kumar
|
DSE, Student, M.A. DU
|
Hand signed
|
Indrajit Mitra
|
DSE, Student, M.A. , DU
|
Hand signed
|
Sandeep Agarwal
|
DSE, Student, M.A, DU
|
Hand signed
|
Ritobrata Roy
|
DSE, Student, M.A, DU
|
Hand signed
|
Suresh Kumar
|
Helper to Electrician, DU
|
Hand signed
|
Ashok Kumar
|
Safai Karmachari, DSE, DU
|
Hand signed
|
Rajesh Papna J
|
Sr.Asstt.Centre for Eco. Dev,
DSE
|
Hand signed
|
Papiya Ghosh
|
RA, DSE, DU
|
By email
|
Surjeet Singh
|
Sr. OA, Center for Dev.
Eco.,DSE
|
Hand signed
|
Dipankar Khlita
|
Hansraj College Student, DU
|
Hand signed
|
Indrajit Sinha Ray
|
Student, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
Nandeep Sahni
|
Student, DSE, Delhi Univ
|
Hand signed
|
Abhineet Agarwal
|
Msc.(P) Student, DSE, DU
|
Hand signed
|
Snaila Bahl
|
Msc.(P) Student, DSE, DU
|
Hand signed
|
Partha Pratim
|
Msc.(P) Student, DSE, DU
|
Hand signed
|
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