Outrage over axing of centuries-old chinar trees in IIOJK
Environmental activists raise alarm over erosion of Kashmir’s green heritage
Srinagar: The felling of centuries-old Chinar trees in Islamabad district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir is being widely condemned, with political leaders, environmentalists, and activists demanding an independent inquiry into the anti-heritage and anti-environmental activity.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Chinar trees, a protected species under the occupied Jammu and Kashmir Preservation of Specified Trees Act, 1969, are revered as symbols of Kashmir’s heritage and ecological balance.
Ruling National Conference MLA Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri called for a high-level investigation, urging the authorities to take immediate action. Reacting to social media images showing felled green Chinar trees, Veeri demanded that the those responsible be booked for vandalising public property.
Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti also criticised the axing, highlighting the contradiction in government policies.
Environmental activists have raised alarm over a systematic erosion of Kashmir’s green heritage. Raja Muzaffar Butt, an environmentalist, said the trees in Rani Bagh, Islamabad district, were vandalised under the pretext of pruning. “Chinar trees in the middle of Rani Bagh have been vandalised under the garb of lopping. I am feeling depressed,” he said.
The Environmental Policy Group (EPG) has condemned the felling, calling it a “grave injustice to the legacy of Kashmir.” The organisation stressed that these trees, believed to be over 500 years old, hold immense cultural, historical, and ecological significance.
r0adj3