Damaged tree threatening to fall on Farooq Abdullah’s house, govt seeks ownership details

Detained former CM Farooq Abdullah’s security team wrote to the forest department to cut the pine tree, but it has to follow procedure before felling it.

File image of National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah | Photo: ANI

Srinagar: A pine tree located in the garden of senior politician Farooq Abdullah’s Gupkar Road residence has been threatening to fall on the house after being damaged in snowfall last month. The damaged pine tree has prompted Abdullah’s security team to shoot off a letter to the J&K government’s forest department, seeking its intervention to cut it.

The forest department has now referred the matter to the revenue department, asking it to establish ownership of the residence and send a copy of the title deed, so that it can proceed with cutting the tree.

Abdullah, the 82-year-old president of the National Conference, three-time former CM of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and the current MP from Srinagar, has been under house arrest since the Narendra Modi government scrapped Article 370 on 5 August. He has been booked twice under the controversial Public Safety Act. The Gupkar Road residence was turned into a sub-jail to keep him under arrest.

Background check of the tree

Officials said the forest department’s intervention can take place only after a thorough background check of the tree is conducted by the authorities concerned.

The check will include assessing the damage to the tree, ascertaining if any solution other than cutting is feasible, and most importantly, verifying the ownership of the tree — or in this case, the land on which the tree is located.

Abdullah’s security team sent its initial communication to the forest department soon after the snowfall.

A senior government official told ThePrint that the initial communication from Abdullah’s security team was sent to the forest department soon after the snowfall. The forest department’s communication to the revenue department was sent the same week, but the latter hasn’t responded yet.

“The upkeep and maintenance of pine trees comes under the jurisdiction of the forest department. Because the tree is located on private property, the forest department will have to follow norms and procedure before taking any measures,” the official said.

“We have been told that the tree is leaning sideways and is threatening to fall on a residential building located in the complex of the former J&K CM. Necessary action will be taken as soon as ownership documents of the residence are released from the revenue department,” said the official.