Pune: Repeated ‘Mistake’ of Tree Cutting Will Lead to Punitive Action, NGT Warns PMC
Pune, 12th October 2024: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) planned to cut down several trees while demolishing the Sadhu Vaswani Bridge in Koregaon Park, even though the construction of the new bridge did not require it. Environmental activists raised this issue with the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
PMC admitted to mistakenly marking 96 trees for removal, which prompted the NGT to issue a stern warning, stating that further mistakes would result in punitive action.
The Sadhu Vaswani Bridge is being demolished due to traffic hazards, and PMC is constructing a new one in its place. However, 96 old trees near the bridge were marked with red paint for cutting.
Advocate Maitreya Ghorpade, representing Amit Singh, Sathya Natarajan, and Gangotri Chanda of the Secular Community, brought this matter before the NGT and disclosed it in a press conference.
The NGT has appointed a committee to conduct an on-site inspection and submit a report. In July, a team led by Abhay Pimparkar, Director of the Department of Environment and Climate Change, conducted the inspection.
The investigation revealed that PMC lacked a scientific method to assess the age of trees, as required by the Tree Conservation Act. It also found that 96 trees were incorrectly marked for removal. The PMC’s Special Projects Department admitted the mistake.
The NGT reprimanded PMC, cautioning against further errors to avoid penal action. Advocate Ghorpade stated that the NGT ordered the cancellation of the proposal for 61 trees and directed PMC to submit a new proposal for 18 trees in compliance with the Tree Conservation Act.
The order was issued by NGT Chairman Judge Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Dr. Vijay Kulkarni. The tribunal also acknowledged the efforts of Nandini Devi Pant, a senior citizen from Hadapsar, who personally counted the red-marked trees and submitted an affidavit to help save them.
