India, Sept. 10 -- The Public Works Department (PWD) has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the upkeep of greenery along Delhi's 1,400km arterial road network, mandating pruning of trees every six months and ensuring vertical clearance of 5.5 metres above carriageways and 3 metres above footpaths. The move follows complaints of poor maintenance and incidents of trees toppling during monsoons, including one in August in Kalkaji where a 50-year-old man was killed and his daughter injured after a massive neem tree fell on vehicles on a waterlogged road. The PWD was the road-owning agency in that case.

According to the order, dated September 4 and issued by the department's horticulture director, officials must survey and remove...