SRINAGAR: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has reconstituted the Tree Authorities for the Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Corporations, mandating strengthened oversight for urban tree preservation and plantation governance under the JK Municipal Corporation Act, 2000.
According to Government Order No. 1033-JK(GAD) of 2026 issued by the General Administration Department on June 3, 2026, the earlier 2020 order has been superseded and fresh authorities have been notified for both corporations.
Under the revised structure, the Commissioner of each municipal corporation will serve as Chairman of the respective Tree Authority, with senior officials from administration, forestry, and horticulture departments appointed as members. The composition includes the Joint Commissioner (Administration), Secretary of the respective municipal corporation, the Divisional Forest Officer (Urban Forestry), and the District Horticulture Officer.
For Srinagar, the authority has been constituted under the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, while a parallel body has been formed for the Jammu Municipal Corporation.
The reconstituted bodies have been tasked with ensuring the preservation of trees within their jurisdictions, maintaining declarations of tree counts from landowners, setting locality-wise standards for plantation, and supporting public and private greening initiatives. They will also implement schemes and measures directed by the government for urban forestry objectives.
In addition, Divisional Forest Officers (Urban Forestry) attached to both municipal corporations have been designated as Tree Officers, granting them statutory responsibilities under the municipal framework to enforce tree protection and related provisions.
