Special trees in Delhi to get 'natural heritage' tag

New Delhi, Sep 26 Sixteen trees native to Aravali and NCR, will soon be notified as "protected" natural heritage, on the lines of recognising special monuments in Delhi.

"Monuments are recognised as 'historical heritage' of the city, but now Delhi government will, officially, recognise trees as 'natural heritage' in the city. Now, Delhi will also recognise its famous, old, historical trees," Delhi Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra said.

Mishra, who is holding interim charge of the Environment Department, says the government has taken the step to highlight the issue of pollution.

"The WHO has ranked Delhi as one of the most polluted cities in the world. As such, it is imperative to protect the green cover of the city," he said in a statement.

"The trees will be adorned with descriptive and informative signboards – which will tell people of the ecological and botanical value of these tree. It will also tell about historical stories surrounding the tree and also warn people against damaging them," he said. Some of the tree in the list are -- banyan, ailanthus, mango, arjuna, and ashok.

"The city has seen continuous habitation since the 6th century BC. It has been ruled by Lodhis, Khiljis, Tughlaks, British, who built several temples and mosques. These are home to ancient trees and we must give due respect to them.

"Also, the native trees of Delhi like jamun, pilkhan, shahtoot, kadamb are getting lost. The ones which survived, and have served an increasingly urbanising Delhi for 100-200 years, deserve protection," he said.

PTI