Green Circle is organising a symbolic Chipko and public awareness programme on Sunday in support of the ongoing protests in South Delhi against the felling of 16,500 trees. World-famous environmentalist and architect of the Chipko movement Padma Bhushan Chandi Prasad Bhatt will grace the occasion.
Our organisation has filed a petition against felling of trees with the National Green Tribunal. The court has stayed the felling up to July 19, and advised the construction company, NBCC, and 10 other respondents to file their replies.
We have decided to continue the protest against felling... the task is formidable, given the volume of construction proposed and agencies involved. The volunteers of the movement have been carrying out various forms of protests all over Delhi.
Green Circle has decided to take “Chipko” global, and has thus created a Google album titled Chipko Global Selfie, where anyone from any part of the world can post the symbolic Chipko carried out at their place in support of the South Delhi Campaign.
It has also developed a mobile app to track the trees marked for cutting by using GPS. The tracked data of the trees such as species name, location, status and photo will be automatically updated in the Google spreadsheet and tracked by us in order to check any violation of court orders.
The Sunday event will also include a variety of cultural programmes by children, highlighting the importance of trees. Twelve NGOs from in and around Delhi will take part in the event.
We are confident that our programme will mount pressure on the government, and the construction agencies will have to drop the decision to cut trees.
