The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has taken a significant step towards compensating for the trees felled along Ganeshkhind Road by planting 5,015 new trees within a 3 km radius. These trees, each 5-6 feet tall, have been carefully planted across six locations and have been GPS-tagged, photographed, and documented for transparency.
This initiative comes after the PMC faced legal scrutiny from the Bombay High Court for not complying with orders to transplant felled trees, ensure a 95% survival rate for compensatory trees, and provide regular updates on street-side plantations. The Court had also issued a stay on further tree cutting along Ganeshkhind Road after the PMC violated the Maharashtra Tree Act by allowing the felling of 192 trees without addressing public objections.
The Court’s intervention, following a Public Interest Litigation by environmental group Parisar, economist Ameet Singh, and activist Hema Chari, led to the PMC redoing the process and emphasizing proper legal compliance. While the recent planting of 5,015 trees is a positive step, concerns remain over transparency, legal compliance, and environmental monitoring.
With Pune’s rapid urbanization, finding a balance between development and sustainability is crucial. Stricter oversight, regular monitoring of tree survival rates, and halting new permissions for tree cutting until existing commitments are fulfilled are necessary steps to ensure the city’s ecological health.
Thanks For Reading Report of Punepress.com