Environment

Tree times more!

Before granting permission to cut down 74 trees for the Kondhwa-Hadapsar road-widening work, Bombay HC orders PMC to plant 222 trees in their place first

Siddharth Gadkari

Posted On Friday, February 05, 2010 at 11:31:37 PM

On May 6, 2009, Bombay High Court had issued an order making it mandatory for PMC to obtain its permission before chopping down any tree within city limits. Another ruling on July 9 required the civic body to submit a report on the hows and the whys while requesting for the permission

In what is good news for city environment activists, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) plan to cut down 74 trees to make way for widening of the Kondhwa-Hadapsar route is now set to see the city get greener by 222 new trees.

The civic body, which had sought permission to cut the trees last month, has been slapped with an order by Bombay High Court, which requires it to plant three times the number of trees to be cut in their place before granting the permission.

On May 6, 2009, in a significant ruling for city’s green covers, a Bombay High Court bench comprising of J N Patel and Mridula Bhatkar, had issued an order making it mandatory for PMC to obtain the High Court’s permission before chopping down any tree within city limits.

Another ruling on July 9 required the civic body to submit a report on the hows and the whys while requesting for the permission.

The order read: “By way of ad interim order, we direct the municipal corporation not to permit felling or cutting the trees within the municipal limits of PMC without obtaining approval of this court.”

The HC order had been issued over the application of Deepak Vahikar and Shaliesh Gandhi.

For the Kondhwa-Hadapsar road widening work, PMC has to fell 74 trees. Hence, it had applied for permission to cut down the trees, assuring the Court that it would plant three times the number of trees to be cut.

But now, the High Court has ordered that the PMC plant the trees first and submit a report on the same, after which the permission would be granted.

Advocate Preetan Kiledhar from the opposition had appealed to the HC, saying the PMC ought to plant the trees before being granted permission.

After considering Kiledhar’s argument, in-charge Justice Jaynarayan Patel and Justice Bhushan Gawai issued the order on Thursday.

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Tree times more!

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