Before chopping, reassess cumulative age of 1,014 trees: State Tree Authority to NMC
   Date :02-Sep-2022

State Tree Authority to NMC 
 
 
 
Staff Reporter
Maharashtra State Tree Authority, in its third meeting held recently, directed Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to reassess the cumulative age of 1,014 trees which will be felled for construction of a parking area for its fleet of city buses near Mor Bhavan.
State Tree Authority instructed the civic body to reassess the cumulative age of the trees in consultation with the Forest Department officials not below the rank of Range Forest Officer (RFO).
The meeting was chaired by Principal Secretary, Environment and Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra. Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar, Chairperson, State Tree Authority; Vidya Hamppya, Deputy Secretary, Urban Development Department; Bhanudas Pingale, Deputy Secretary (Forest), Revenue and Forest Department; Vaibhav Raje, expert member; and Narendra Toke, Member Secretary, State Tree Authority, were present in the meeting.
The Authority also instructed to furnish photos and the live satellite images of the trees to be cut or transplanted for the project. Accordingly, the Authority decided the civic body to seek report on both points. Hence, the proposal will be considered after the compliance.
Transport Department of NMC is planning to construct a parking lot for its fleet of city buses near Mor Bhavan for which they have proposed to fell 1,014 trees. The proposal first raised in the local tree committee, but as the proposal was about cutting of more than 200 trees, the committee forwarded the matter before the State Tree Authority.
For construction of the parking lot, NMC will fell different species of trees including Subabool (468), Teak (23), Indian Jujube (154), Nevrakha (33), Chichbilai (94), Cordia Dichotoma (85), Amaltash (39), Neem (1), Palash (9), Karanji (4), Kinhi (4), Babool (24), Katsawar (26), Chichwa (8), Kalambh (30), Panjra (1), Hiwar (1), Chinch (9) and Adjaat (1). To clear the area, the trees are to be cut by NMC that has to do compensatory plantation at other place. However, directions by the authority may delay the project.
To improve the green cover and conserve heritage trees in the State, the State Government has constituted State Tree Authority exactly seven months after making amendment to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975. Meanwhile, after the amendment, the Act classifies 50-year-old trees as heritage ones.