The Bombay High Court expressed dissatisfaction with the affidavit filed by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the Ganeshkhind road tree cutting case. The Court instructed the Municipal Commissioner to personally vet a fresh affidavit to ensure compliance with the Court's orders.
In a hearing regarding a contempt petition filed over tree cutting on Ganeshkhind Road, the Chief Justice took a stern stance on the PMC. The Court emphasized that any failure to comply with its order dated April 17, 2024, which granted permission to remove trees for the construction of a flyover, would be taken seriously.
The original petitioners had filed a contempt petition, alleging that several directions from the Court were not followed. These included the transplantation of trees instead of cutting them, the compensatory plantation of 5000 trees with a 95% survival rate to be ensured by the PMC, and the approval of street plantation by a botanical expert. The PMC was also instructed to regularly update its website with relevant information and inform the Court about the progress.
Here's what petitioners said
Ranjit Gadgil, Program Director of Parisar and one of the petitioners, stated, "We filed an RTI seeking information on the implementation of these directions and were shocked to find that hardly any had been followed. The plantation on Ganeshkhind road appears haphazard and is blocking pedestrian access. The road department should have ensured that the plantation was done along the footpath, leaving at least 2.5 meters of walkable space. Yet, even on a 45-meter road, pedestrians are getting hardly 1 - 1.5 meters of space, and in some stretches, it’s even less."
Ameet Singh, another petitioner, pointed out, "There is no information available about the 5000 trees to be planted as compensation, and the website the PMC claims to have this data on is inaccessible. The trees should be geo-tagged, but this has not been done."
During the hearing, the Chief Justice expressed concern over Pune’s diminishing green cover, a matter that has been raised by petitioners. Hema Chari, the third petitioner, remarked, “The PMC’s indifferent attitude, even in a contempt case, is puzzling.”
In October, the PMC granted provisional permission for the cutting of 896 trees and the transplantation of 968 trees, with compensatory plantation of 32,600 trees. However, the compensatory plantation has not been carried out, as evidenced by the situation on Ganeshkhind Road, which is being monitored by the Court.
Ameet Singh added, “We are demanding that no new permissions should be granted until all previous records are thoroughly scrutinized and made publicly available.”
