Tree Act warrants hearing and decision, but NMC yet to move

Nagpur: In a fresh revelation, it has come to fore that the civic body may have violated laws in case of the ongoing Save Bharat Van public campaign.
According to the Maharashtra (Urban Trees) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act which was passed by the state government in 1975 and amended in 2017, a public hearing on objections should be mandatorily conducted and a decision be given within two weeks after that.
The act states, “If any objection is received against permission for tree felling, the matter shall be placed before the tree authority for reconsideration. A decision should be taken within two weeks after giving a hearing to the person who has raised objection.”
Though it’s been one-and-a-half months since record-breaking objections were filed against tree felling at Bharat Van, the civic body has not taken any hearing yet. On June 22, TOI reported that over 1,500 letters objecting to the proposed road at Bharat Van were submitted by citizens at the garden department of NMC.
NMC officials do not have a clear answer as to why a hearing is not being held. In an earlier conversation with TOI, municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar had stated that as the matter is pending in Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, a decision will be taken on the court’s directives.
According to experts, NMC has no right to ignore public opinion and break the law. “When it has called for public objections, it becomes mandatory to follow the protocol and complete the process. Why start a procedure and then abandon it in between? Does it mean that all the 1,500 plus objections filed by the citizens of Nagpur does not have any value,” asked Jaydeep Das, honorary wildlife warden of Nagpur.
Adding that the authority should value the time and feelings of the common people who have gone out of their way to speak up for the environment, Das said that NMC should come up with a proper explanation to the public.
Agreeing with him, green activist Dr Abheek Ghosh said that what matters ultimately is the public opinion. “We should investigate the number of times NMC took the people of Nagpur for a ride by calling for objection letters and then conveniently forgetting to conduct a public hearing. Is the administration afraid,” asked Ghosh.
Apart from Bharat Van, over 800 objection letters have been filed last week against tree felling at Empress Mill area for a proposed road. Fearing that NMC will again ignore the large-scale opposition, activists have demanded an urgent public hearing for both the cases.