Green violators under scanner

Civic body sends notices to 120 citizens, 25 builders for cutting trees without permission from Bombay HC

As per the Bombay High Court order, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued notices to 120 citizens, including 25 builders and developers in the city, for violating the Maharashtra Protection and Preservation of Tree Act 1975. According to the PMC's Garden Department, builders, developers and other businesses have been involved in cutting 232 trees from April to November this year.

The Bombay High Court had issued an order following a writ petition filed by tree lovers Deepak Vahikar, Vinod Jain and Juneja Singh in April 2009. The order said that the permission to cut the trees would be issued by the Bombay High Court and a failure to obtain it would be considered a violation.

The PMC has issued notices under section 8 (1) and 21 (1) of the Maharashtra Protection and Preservation of Tree Act 1975. Bhanudas Mane, deputy commissioner, PMC, said that he has not spared anybody. "We have not excluded builders in the city," he said. Vinod Jain, a tree lover alleged that the PMC always violated the rules and orders issued by the high court on this issue. He said, "There were a total of 4,500 illegal tree cutting incidents since May 6, 2009 after the high court order was issued. For every one tree that is cut, three trees need to be replanted as per the high court directive."

Naresh Zurmure, chief garden superintendent, said that the horticulture officer has been given the right to keep a check on illegal tree-cutting in the city. "We shall monitor cutting of trees by appointing additional staff in the future. The rule violators should be legally punished and we will honour the court order," he said.u00a0

The PMC had issued the notice for cutting 128 trees on the land belonging to R D Sethna Trust at Ganesh Khind Road. The Trust said the trees were small and that they had only pruned the grass. Pantaloon Retail India Limited also has refuted the charges of cutting trees on Senapati Bapat Road. The PMC issued them a notice for cutting three trees on a divider on October 7 this year.