Peepal trees in Kasba Peth’s Lunanagar locality marked for felling are over 60-70 years old, say residents, claiming that PMC is downplaying their age and heritage status to do away with them
Pune: Citizens have challenged PMC’s consolidated Oct tree-felling notice for Kasba Peth, alleging that it incorrectly stated that no heritage trees are involved, despite three peepal trees listed as 60-70 years old in one of the applications. One of the objecting citizens, Kharadi resident Gangotri Chanda, told TOI , “The protection and conservation of heritage trees across the state is among the duties of the Maharashtra state tree authority under Section 6A (ii) of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975. The number of compensatory trees proposed also appears to fall short of the legal requirement. ” Under Section 8(5)(a) of the 1975 Trees Act, the number of replacement trees to be planted must equal the estimated age, in years, of each tree being felled. However, residents pointed out that in one application, while the total sum of ages of trees to be felled is 81, the number of compensatory trees cited is 60.
They said the absence of accurate location details and maps in the docket made it difficult to visit the sites and raise objections based on their findings. I went through the PMC tree-felling docket for Kasba Peth and found several irregularities. The objectors further alleged that PMC’s tree census website was not accessible, preventing citizens from checking publicly available information, including the geotagged locations of trees.
As per the Trees Act section 7(b), a local tree authority must conduct a census of all existing trees within its jurisdiction once every five years. Further, according to the National Forest Policy, the minimum recommended tree and forest cover is 33% (one-third) of a country’s total land area to maintain ecological balance and environmental stability. ” Shaikh added, “PMC needs to show us audit reports of previous compensatory plantations and transplantations with their geotagged photos. Are these done under the guidance of any botanist? Does the tree authority have tree census records?
Rekha Joshi, a resident of Somwar Peth, said, “Our opposition to tree felling is part of a larger concern about Pune’s rapidly shrinking green cover amid increasing concretisation in the name of development. With a large part of the city covered by buildings and cemented roads, rainwater has fewer opportunities to seep into the ground. At a time when Pune is facing water cuts and several parts of Maharashtra are grappling with drought, further reducing the city’s tree cover will only add to its environmental stress. Development projects must take into account the need to preserve trees and protect the city’s green cover.”
In response, a civic official pleaded anonymity and said, “We had given a 10-day period, from Oct 12-22, for citizens to submit their objections, accepted both online and offline. We will compile all the objections and decide on the next course of action. Those who submitted objections, as well as the applicants who proposed the tree felling, will be called for a hearing. The objections will be heard in their presence, and further action will be taken after considering the same. Whether a tree is a heritage tree or ordinary one, all are included in the hearing process.”