In a bid to maintain the city's environmental balance, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) engages in large-scale tree planting and nurturing initiatives. The civic body allocates funds for this purpose in the annual budget, investing to enhance the city's beauty, cleanliness, and greenery. However, the efforts are being hindered by certain individuals, including advertising firms, who damage the municipality-cultivated trees. In response, the municipal administration has cancelled the licenses of seven such firms.
PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh emphasised that advertising firms should refrain from cutting or removing trees in front of their boards without proper authorisation. Any unauthorised felling of trees may lead to the revocation of their licence, along with legal action against the advertiser, in accordance with the advertisement regulation and control rules of the Maharashtra government, he added.
On a related note, a case was registered against those responsible for illegally felling trees in the Chikhali area. Seven firms have been implicated in connection with the unauthorised felling of trees, with investigations currently underway. The PCMC has taken proactive measures by filing cases with police stations in nine jurisdictions regarding unauthorised tree felling, and fines totaling ₹10,000 have been collected thus far, according to the Tree Authority Department.
Pradeep Jambhale Patil, Additional Commissioner of PCMC, stated, "Despite numerous efforts to address illegal tree cutting, some individuals persist in deliberately causing harm to trees. Unauthorised felling or removal of trees by advertising firms within municipal jurisdiction due to the absence of roadside hoardings has become a recurring issue."
Ravikiran Ghodke, Deputy Commissioner of the Parks Department, highlighted the frequent instances of unauthorised tree felling for advertisement boards in the city. "In response, legal action is being taken against advertisers by filing cases under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra tree protection regulations. The police have been involved in filing cases, and official correspondence has been sent to relevant police stations for further action," he added.
