The Pune Municipal Corporation has come out with suggestions to push forward the state government bid to amend the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act,1975. The amendment is to formulate a statewide policy on maintaining heritage trees and wildlife. The state government has undertaken the process of amending the Act. Only the PMC has put forth suggestions, Pune Tree Authority (PTA) member Tasneem Balasinorwala said. But the civic body does not agree with environmentalists on the term heritage trees arguing trees are considered living. Throwing light on the proposed amendment,Balasinorwala said there has been no change in the rules for maintaining the ecology of urban areas. The amendment will only change the outlook towards environment in urban areas . The proposed amendment begins with the word preservation. It is being substituted for conservation. Activists said this will not only regulate tree-felling,but also impose control over cutting down of trees. We are also inserting rules to ensure survival of trees that are over 100 years old by conserving them as heritage trees. Everyone should understand the importance of these trees, Balasinrowala said. The INTACH has already undertaken a study on finding old and rare trees that can be included in heritage list,she added. The civic administration differs with the suggestions made by PTA members. Garden Superintendent Bhanudas Mane said,The heritage criteria cannot be made applicable to trees as they are considered living. It is also not possible to conserve trees just because they are old even if they are causing a hindrance to development. He was against the suggestion of maintaining nests and bird habitats in the urban areas saying it will be difficult. No doubt,birds in urban areas are disappearing,but its not because of felling of trees. Its mostly due to non-availability of food that was earlier found in the agriculture lands surrounding the city, Mane said. But the administration and environmentalists agree on cutting political interference. The Tree Authority should have equal representation from social forestry department,agriculture university,NGOs,retired officers from the garden and forest departments and elected representatives of the local body to be nominated to the Authority, Balasinorwala said. An apex body at the state-level under Principal Secretary,Urban Development,to ensure effective implementation of the Act has also been proposed,she said. Pune Tree Officer Balasaheb Jagzap said heavy fines should be imposed for each tree that ought to have been planted but developers had not done,as per norms. It would motivate public to plant at least the required number of trees.
