Trees wont be cut,only trimmed

After strong opposition from citizens groups and environmental activists against the PMC garden departments decision to cut down 13 banyan trees...

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After strong opposition from citizens groups and environmental activists against the PMC garden departments decision to cut down 13 banyan trees,about 100 years old,in the Yerwada commercial zone,the civic body has decided not to fell but trim these trees for road-widening.

Bhanudas Mane,PMC garden superintendent,said,The High Court had given the nod to felling of 13 banyan trees as they came in the carriage way marked in the development plan. But the garden department has now decided not to cut them but will only trim some of the branches of these trees which come in the way. I have already done the marking on branches to be cut.

Vinod Jain,a city based environmental activist said,It is the opposition from citizens that has compelled them to take this decision. The authorities were actually misguiding the court by saying that the trees came on the carriage way. In reality,the trees fall well within the limits of the foot path.

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Jain said,All these trees are aged more than 100 years. Corporation authorities told the court that the trees are 30 to 40 years old. They had even made illogical assurance of replanting these trees elsewhere. Talking about replanting 100-year-old trees is a joke and misguiding people and court.

It is mandatory for the garden authorities to put up up a notice on the tree 15 days before its cutting date. Authorities tell us that people raise objections if they put up notices. Who will explain to them that notices need to be put up to see if there are any objections? Sai Pratishthan,a citizens group from Yerwada,had formed a human chain to register their opposition to cutting these trees.

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