The NGT has confiscated several truck-loads of such old trees standing along NH-4. This road is being widened into four-lanes. (File)
The western bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the officials of the Dehu Road Cantonment Board (DCB) for submitting “a wrong No Objection Certificate (NOC)” which led to the felling of about 80 trees along the National Highway (NH) 4 that is currently being widened. It has also barred the government agencies involved in the work from cutting any more trees along the road. In an ongoing case filed by city-based NGOs, the green court on Thursday sought an explanation from the cantonment board over granting permission for undertaking the road-widening work, jointly undertaken by the State forest department, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and the National Highway Development Authority. These government agencies have allegedly misused the NoC, considering it to be a green signal for cutting the trees.
However, the NGO raised this matter with the court, which reiterated, “It has been learned that the DCB had issued an NoC for the identified trees, which fell in the line of road widening, as the trees were not planted on the defence land. However, nowhere in the letter, was there mention of ‘permission’ to cut the trees.”
In the last two months, 80 trees were felled in the process and truckloads of tree trunks have been in the possession of the forest department. NGT also confiscated the same and has ordered for an inquiry into the matter, thereby warning against any further trees to be chopped. A private firm roped in by the MSRDC had in January this year, written to the cantonment, seeking suggestions of location and land within cantonment limits for transplanting 123 trees. As per the court’s earlier directives, a clear picture of tree transplantation has been duly submitted to the court. Passing the buck onto MSRDC, a cantonment board official stated, “The court is convinced that the board has no say in the matter and it is now up to the MSRDC to resolve the issue.”
In all, there are 261 standing trees that need to be axed in order to complete the four lanes of the national highway at the proposed site outside the twin town of Pimpri-Chinchwad. Upon the court’s directives, the government agencies had in May this year submitted a report, stating the presence of only 188 trees. Of these, 45 trees were supposed to be retained while 26 were to be transplanted and 99 trees were to be cut. Activists had cried foul, highlighting that there was no mention of 73 trees. “It is only now that there is a clear picture of the matter and the tree felling has been stopped. We will also see that the suggested number of trees are transplanted in the area suggested,” said Shrikant Jogdand, Pimpri-Chinchwad secretary of Human Rights Protection and Awareness group.
