Cutting trees to build an amusement park at Polo Ground Park? Kashmir deserves better

By a Concerned Citizen

The recent felling of decades-old healthy trees at Polo Ground Park on Maulana Azad Road in Srinagar has come as a shock to environmentalists and citizens who care about the future of Kashmir’s green spaces. What makes the incident even more disturbing is that it has occurred in a public park managed by the Floriculture Department, an institution entrusted with preserving and enhancing the Valley’s natural heritage.

Reports suggest that the trees were removed as part of an ongoing project to develop an amusement park with various artificial structures and attractions. While development and public recreation are important, they cannot come at the cost of mature trees that have been serving the environment for decades. These trees provide shade, absorb pollutants, support biodiversity and contribute significantly to the ecological balance of Srinagar. Replacing them with concrete features or ornamental installations is hardly a fair trade-off.

Equally disappointing has been the response of the authorities. Instead of engaging with environmental concerns and explaining the rationale behind the decision, the department chose to defend its actions through social media. Such an approach raises more questions than it answers. Citizens deserve transparency and accountability when public green spaces are altered in ways that have long-term environmental consequences.

A Contradictory Message on Environmental Protection

The timing of this incident is particularly unfortunate. Across the country, campaigns such as “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” are encouraging people to plant and protect trees. Governments and environmental agencies routinely emphasize the importance of increasing green cover to combat climate change, rising temperatures and pollution.

Against this backdrop, the cutting of healthy mature trees in an established public park sends a contradictory message. If parks are not safe from tree felling, where will environmental conservation begin? Areas like Polo Ground Park require more plantation and ecological restoration, not the removal of existing green assets.

The larger concern is that this incident reflects a broader pattern of neglect. The Floriculture Department has struggled to maintain many of the parks under its control. Public parks in Jawahar Nagar, Sheerbagh in Anantnag, near District Hospital Budgam and several other locations have suffered from inadequate maintenance and declining standards over the years. Before embarking on ambitious beautification projects, the department must first demonstrate its ability to protect and maintain the green spaces already entrusted to it.

The people of Kashmir have every right to ask why healthy trees were cut, whether environmental assessments were conducted and what alternatives were considered. Development should never be viewed as a choice between recreation and nature. True development is achieved when both coexist in harmony.

The Floriculture Department must provide a clear explanation for its actions and ensure that environmental protection remains at the centre of all future projects. Kashmir’s parks are not merely recreational spaces; they are part of the region’s ecological identity. Once mature trees are lost, it takes generations to replace what has been destroyed in a matter of hours.