2,394 trees to face the heat of roadwork
The trees are being hacked for NHAI’s project at Chandni Chowk
T he city is set for shedding more of its green cover courtesy a proposed flyover from Kothrud to Chandni Chowk, much to the consternation of the green brigade and also common denizens. The city's residents who have already weathered unprecedented heat this summer are appalled by yet another proposition by Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC's) road department and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to hack or transplant as many as 2,394 trees for the project.
A 77-page docket proposing this was tabled last month for objections and suggestions. It has sought permission to chop down 945 trees and transplant 1,454 others. Citizens who are witness to the hash job done in the name of transplanting at Yerwada's Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary are balking at more such attacks on the city's trees.
The voices of protest are rising from across the city. "It is disheartening to see that on one side residents are fighting tooth-and-nail to preserve what is left of the city's green cover, and on the other, people vested with the powers to protect the environment are busy wrecking it. The scorching summer we are experiencing is a testimony to the impact of losing our trees. Instead of learning from this we are striding towards more depletion of the greenery. The big question is why no thought is being given to finding alternatives to broadening roads hacking away the trees that line them, to resolve traffic issues?" asked Sanjiv Naik, a resident of Aundh.
biodiversity expert.
He stressed on the bad tidings the proposed loss of 2,400 trees spelt. "PMC's garden department is not attuned to scientific transplantation techniques. This was evident in the exercise they undertook at the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, where huge trees were axed in the name of transplantation. The civic body ought to first appoint a committee of subject experts to assess the impact this proposal will have on the biodiversity of the area, before taking any final decision," he urged.
Reiterating the ineptitude of PMC's Tree Authority in handling transplantation, Chaitanya Ket, a resident of Pashan, added, "The objection is to developing a flyover on a road bereft of trees on its sides and median. Any permission for transplanting the 1,454 trees is as good as signing their death warrant. We protest such unsustainable development which leaves no room for trees and birds at the cost of the environment."
An official of the PMC project department merely stated, "We've submitted the docket to obtain permission for the proposed project on behalf of NHAI and await approval. The Tree Authority has sought objections and suggestion from residents of Pune and will do the needful, once the reactions are in."
A 77-page docket proposing this was tabled last month for objections and suggestions. It has sought permission to chop down 945 trees and transplant 1,454 others. Citizens who are witness to the hash job done in the name of transplanting at Yerwada's Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary are balking at more such attacks on the city's trees.
The voices of protest are rising from across the city. "It is disheartening to see that on one side residents are fighting tooth-and-nail to preserve what is left of the city's green cover, and on the other, people vested with the powers to protect the environment are busy wrecking it. The scorching summer we are experiencing is a testimony to the impact of losing our trees. Instead of learning from this we are striding towards more depletion of the greenery. The big question is why no thought is being given to finding alternatives to broadening roads hacking away the trees that line them, to resolve traffic issues?" asked Sanjiv Naik, a resident of Aundh.
This year particularly people have experienced climate change for real and are reacting more strongly. "There is a need to take a closer look at the need for such infrastructure projects. Given the alarming rise in temperatures we need more trees to fight climate change. Mindless projects are also creating imbalances in our ecosystem, robbing the habitat of birds and killing our biodiversity," pointed out Dharmraj Patil, a city-based ornithologist and
He stressed on the bad tidings the proposed loss of 2,400 trees spelt. "PMC's garden department is not attuned to scientific transplantation techniques. This was evident in the exercise they undertook at the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, where huge trees were axed in the name of transplantation. The civic body ought to first appoint a committee of subject experts to assess the impact this proposal will have on the biodiversity of the area, before taking any final decision," he urged.
Reiterating the ineptitude of PMC's Tree Authority in handling transplantation, Chaitanya Ket, a resident of Pashan, added, "The objection is to developing a flyover on a road bereft of trees on its sides and median. Any permission for transplanting the 1,454 trees is as good as signing their death warrant. We protest such unsustainable development which leaves no room for trees and birds at the cost of the environment."
An official of the PMC project department merely stated, "We've submitted the docket to obtain permission for the proposed project on behalf of NHAI and await approval. The Tree Authority has sought objections and suggestion from residents of Pune and will do the needful, once the reactions are in."
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