In an affidavit before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) provided information that raises concerns about the administration's approach to the seriousness of the legal matters. The matter pertains to compensatory tree plantation, which highlighted serious discrepancies in the PMC's compensatory afforestation records, raising concerns regarding the accuracy and authenticity of information submitted to statutory authorities.
The PMC, in its affidavit before the NGT, claimed that approximately 40,000 trees had been planted as compensatory afforestation. However, verification of GPS coordinates submitted as proof of plantation reportedly revealed that certain locations corresponded to areas in the desert region of Chad, Africa, rather than locations within Pune or Maharashtra.
The findings have raised significant questions regarding the credibility of PMC's plantation records, the verification process adopted by the civic administration, and the effectiveness of oversight mechanisms intended to ensure compliance with environmental safeguards.
The issue is particularly concerning given the large-scale tree felling undertaken for infrastructure projects across Pune over the past several years. Citizens have consistently sought transparency regarding the location, survival, and maintenance of compensatory plantations promised in lieu of trees removed for development projects.
"We have exposed this fraud perpetrated on the citizens of Pune by the PMC and the government. On one hand, an administration that has surrendered itself to political pressure; on the other, political leadership that lacks an understanding of ground realities, factual evidence, and the issues affecting the city, rendering it incapable of effectively challenging such actions. The result of this combination is the deplorable state in which Pune finds itself today. Unfortunately, it is the ordinary citizens of Pune who are paying the price for these failures," said activist Adv Krunnal Gharre.
The alleged discrepancies have prompted several questions, including whether the claimed plantations actually exist on the ground, how many trees were planted against those felled, whether incorrect GPS data was submitted in official records, and who was responsible for verifying the information before it was presented to the tribunal.
