Bhopal Residents Question Tree Felling Near St Montfort School In Patel Nagar

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Several mature roadside trees near St Montfort School in Patel Nagar were felled on Wednesday, triggering concern among local residents and environmental activists over the continued loss of green cover in the city.

Preliminary information suggests the tree felling is linked to an infrastructure development project, possibly involving road widening by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) or another executing agency.

However, no signboards or public notices were displayed at the site identifying the project or the agency responsible.

Officials present at the location said the trees were not being removed arbitrarily and that all necessary permissions had been obtained from the competent authorities before the work began.

Residents and environmental activists questioned the increasing number of trees being cut in the name of development, arguing that the loss of decades-old shade trees would adversely affect the local ecosystem and environmental balance.

Municipal commissioner Sanskriti Jain said that the permission was granted to the discom for pruning and cutting trees as part of maintenance work being carried out across the city.

However, it was not immediately clear whether Patel Nagar tree felling was part of the same exercise.