Traffic was restored on Rafi Marg after an uprooted tree near the RBI building was cleared by the New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) Quick Response Team on Friday afternoon,officials said.
The tree, which fell early in the day, had briefly disrupted vehicular movement near Patel Chowk and the RBI premises. The team responded promptly to clear the obstruction, an NDMC official said.
“Our Quick Response Team reached the spot shortly after receiving information and cleared the road. The reason behind the tree fall is still unknown,” the official said.
“The cement around tree bases blocks water and air from reaching the roots, weakening them,” environmentalist Verhaen Khanna said.
Khanna also urged authorities to consider reviving fallen trees instead of removing them outright.
Last week, strong winds and rain uprooted more than 100 trees across Delhi, triggering concerns among environmentalists over the impact of unchecked urbanisation and concretisation of tree bases.
“During the monsoon, tree trunks need to expand due to moisture, but concretisation chokes them. If roots are also cut during nearby digging, the risk of collapse increases,” he said.
“The resources exist, but the will is lacking. When civic bodies act, success rates for reviving trees are high,” he added.
