PWD ignores transplant option, cuts down 15 trees

Nagpur: The city’s development continues to come at the cost of environment. On Thursday, around 15 trees were chopped off near Udyog Bhavan, Civil Lines,for construction of Food and Drug Administration’s building. On noticing the felling of fully-grown trees, members of Green Vigil Foundation alerted the garden department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).
When officials reached on the spot, it came to the fore that NMC had recently granted permission to Public Works Department (PWD) for felling 15 trees.

However, in the permission letter dated January 24, the department stated the option of transplantation of trees should be considered wherever possible. “PWD failed in exploring this option and simply cut down the trees. When MahaMetro can transplant trees of same age, PWD could have too,” said Kaustav Chatterjee, founder of Green Vigil. TOI could not contact the PWD official concerned.

TOI recently reported MahaMetro had transplanted 40 fully-grown trees that were lined up along the metro corridor in different areas. Earlier too, MahaMetro had transplanted 15 trees at a residential society in Mihan. As per officials, all the transplanted trees have survived.

The permission letter granted by NMC further states that compensatory plantation should be carried out in a month’s time. “This is where the civic body is going wrong. Compensatory plantations should be mandatorily carried out before cutting trees. Projects like building construction are planned well in advance and the agency gets enough time to do plantation,” said Chatterjee.

In a recent affidavit filed in Nagpur bench of Bombay high court, garden department informed it gave permissions to fell over 1,800 trees in the city in the last six months. Among them, MahaMetro will cut highest number — 493— at its various stretches. Next in line is Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital on Umred road, which had sought permission to clear 206 trees from its campus.