Actor Sayaji Shinde supports environment experts, PMC says won’t cut 6,000 trees

The PMC, however, stated that the citizens are misled through wrong information that more than 6,000 trees are going to be cut for the RFD project.

On Tuesday, actor Shinde also met the representatives of Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti and extended support for their agitation against the road link project and to protect the environment.

“I will do whatever is possible in saving the trees on the river bed,” said Shinde.

He asked the PMC to prepare a detailed plan for undertaking plantation of 65,000 trees to compensate for those trees set to be cut for the project.

On Monday, 11 environment experts returned the “Paryavaran Doot” award, which was conferred upon them for work on environment conservation, to the PMC .

They said that Municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar refused to meet them. The experts have decided to create a public awareness campaign “Chalo Chipko” to protest against tree-cutting on April 29 near Sambhaji Park.

However, Yuvraj Deshmukh, Executive Engineer, PMC, said, “Incorrect information is being circulated on social media sites that more than 6,000 trees are going to be cut for the RFD project. There is no truth in it.”

The PMC has carried out survey for identifying trees that are going to be affected due to RFD and for that numbers were put on trees, he said.

“The public is misled that all the trees on which number plate has been put will be cut. The numbering is done only to list the number of trees in the area,” he said.

“The PMC has ensured that a maximum number of rare and old trees will not be cut for the project while it is planning to transplant the other trees that have to be removed from the area. Also, the PMC has planned to plant more than 65,000 trees of local species to compensate for the affected trees for RFD,” the civic officer added.

According to the civic body, they are going to conserve 3,142 trees on the riverside and with new plantation there will be green cover developed on both sides of the river.

The PMC said it would be completing removing 1,538 trees on stretch from Sangamwadi to Bund Garden and 1,572 trees for stretch from Bund Garden to Mudhwa and most of them are foreign species.

In response, however, the environment experts pointed out that the civic administration had itself tabled a proposal for cutting 6,000 trees for RFD.

“The data and information shared on trees, getting affected by RFD, by PMC and contractors is different. The information on paper and the actual site is different. The PMC had assured that no trees would be cut but it has now proposed to cut a large number of trees. There is no detailed plan on planting 65,000 trees to compensate for tree cutting,” they said.