Himachal Pradesh courts orders state to tag all trees with radio frequency identification tags

The Himachal Pradesh High Court today directed the state government to ensure that every tree within the Shimla Municipal Corporation limits is numbered and implanted with radio frequency identification tags (RFID).[caption id="attachment_483310" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representative image. Getty Images[/caption]A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Ajay Mohan Goel passed the directions on a public interest litigation (PIL) pertaining to felling of trees within the jurisdiction of the SMC."We are informed that procurement of such tags is no longer an issue and are readily available. Once these radio frequency tags are implanted in a tree, data with regard to their growth or felling can readily be made available and monitored through censors from a centralized place," the bench said.It said the funds allocated by the World Bank for carrying out activities within the municipal limits of Shimla can be used for such a purpose.The court took serious note of the report of Devan K. Khanna, the amicus curiae (friend of the court) in this case, which stated that "even though not much illicit felling of trees is carried out on government land but it is rampant on private land".The court will next hear the matter on 14 November.