PMC show-cause notice to SOI for cutting trees

The Pune Municipal Corporation has issued a show-cause notice to the Survey of India and sought a written explanation from the institute as to why it had axed huge trees on its campus in contravention of forest rules.

THE Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued a show-cause notice to the Survey of India (SOI) and sought a written explanation from the institute as to why it had axed huge trees on its campus in contravention of forest rules. SOIs Maharashtra and Goa Geo-spatial Data Centre is located here.

Garden Superintendent A D Ghorpade said,We had served a notice to SOI on February 21 asking them to file their reply within four days. Khaire said a fine will be levied if SOI fails to reply.

A total of 27 trees were found hacked inside SOI on February 10 following which activist Onkar Vahikar filed a police complaint on the same day. A team of garden department officials had conducted an inspection of the spot. Investigations revealed that 15 khair,seven sindi and 5 babhool trees were lopped off. The department took photographs of the site and conducted an on-the-spot panchnama.

SOI is a national survey and mapping organisation under the Department of Science and Technology involved in land mapping and giving scientific inputs for national initiatives like National Disaster Management (NDM),National Urban Information System (NUIS) and National Standardised Control Frame Work and others.

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