STOP cutting down the auctioned trees on Boulevard Road (Srinagar, Kashmir)

The Govt. Of J&K has auctioned about 700 mature willow and indigeneous poplar trees on Boulevard Road for Rs. 50 lacs. (Greater Kashmir, April 15, 2015). They are now in the process of cutting down these beautiful trees that have stood on the banks of Dal lake for many years. These trees are not only a visual treat but also environmentally and historically significant. The department of social forestry has been quoted in Greater Kashmir to have concluded that pollen from these trees is a nuisance and hence chopping down 700 trees is justified.
By signing this petition, we are asking the government to immideatly stop cutting these trees. The research that concluded these trees to pose a health or safety hazard and recommended their removal should be widely circulated to allow the public, environmental experts and arborists to review it in detail and comment on its validity.
In addition, poplar trees are being cut throughout the Kashmir valley on the pretext of road widening, legal and illegal construction, pollen allergies etc. Through this petition, we are asking the govt. to stop cutting trees and instead look for alternatives (different road alignment, replacement/replanting of cut trees, balance of male/female poplar species to reduce pollen) to preserve what is left of the declining green cover in Kashmir.