Why was a funeral procession of trees taken out in Dehradun, Uttarakhand?

Environmentalists and intellectuals on Sunday took out a symbolic funeral procession of trees here under the ‘Save Environment Movement 2.0’ in protest against the cutting of trees for development projects. A large number of people gathered at the Parade Ground in the heart of the city under the ‘Long Suffering Citizens of Dehradun’ and paid tribute by participating in the symbolic funeral procession of thousands of trees that have been cut so far and those to be cut in the future in the name of development.

People dressed in white, with black bands on their mouths, peacefully marched towards the state secretariat carrying the bier of branches of dry trees. However, the police stopped them midway, after which the speakers protested there. These branches were of those trees which were uprooted from Sahasradhara Road two years ago and replanted in the area near the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium. All these trees never flourished and dried up. On this occasion, well-known social activist Anoop Nautiyal said that there should be a complete ban on the transfer of forest land for any project in the Doon Valley so that no more trees are cut.

More than three thousand trees cut for 15 minutes

He said that for the proposed widening of the Rishikesh-Dehradun road, more than three thousand trees have to be cut just so that the journey between these cities is reduced by 15 minutes. Nautiyal said, the Chipko movement started in Uttarakhand 51 years ago. Now for the first time in the history of the country, such a symbolic funeral procession has been taken out in Dehradun. This will ignite the awareness of the environment in the entire country. On this occasion, speakers like Jyotsna, Ajay Sharma and Karan also expressed their views. He said that since the formation of the state, trees have been cut on a large scale, which has greatly affected the climate of Dehradun.

He said that earlier people used to come to Dehradun from Delhi for good climate, but now the situation here is also getting worse. A year ago too, through this movement, the cutting of trees for the widening of the Garhi Cantt road was opposed, as a result of which the government had to step back. It also had to declare that now trees will not be cut.