Raising serious concern over the way compensatory plantation is being carried out in the city, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court observed that merely planting thousands of trees at a distant location cannot compensate for the loss of mature trees in the area where they were actually cut. A division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode directed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the Amicus Curiae to jointly inspect a one-kilometre stretch of London Street to determine whether adequate space is available for plantation. The Court said that if suitable space is found, developer Prafullved Infra Pvt Ltd must plant 1,000 trees in the locality. The direction came after the builder informed the Court that there was no space available on London Street for carrying out the plantation. Earlier, the company had received permission to cut 74 trees and was directed to plant 1,000 trees as compensatory plantation. The High Court ordered a physical inspection to verify the claim.

 

During the hearing, Justice Kilor questioned the logic behind compensatory plantation being undertaken far away from the affected area. The Court observed that residents lose shade, greenery and environmental benefits when mature trees are removed from their locality. Planting replacement trees elsewhere may not provide the same benefit to those directly affected. The case relates to the London Street development project between Khamla-Sneh Samvardhak Road and Jaitala Road. The hearing also revealed discrepancies in the number of trees reportedly planted by the developer. According to an affidavit filed by NMC, the company had undertaken to plant nearly 10,000 trees. However, an inspection conducted by civic officials on April 22 and 23 found only 4,213 trees on the ground, of which 3,986 were alive. The matter reached the High Court after it took suo motu cognisance of a letter written by Advocate Dnyandeep Bhongde, a resident of Khamla.

 

The issue was later converted into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). Earlier, the Amicus Curiae had questioned the company’s claim regarding plantation of 10,000 trees, prompting the Court to direct NMC to conduct verification and submit a factual report. The affidavit further stated that permission to cut 73 trees on Plot No 5 was granted in June 2023 with a condition to plant 2,561 trees as compensation. Proposals seeking permission to cut 67 trees on Plot No 4 and 138 trees on Plot No 3 are still pending. NMC informed the Court that final approval for these proposals would not be granted unless all compensatory plantation conditions are fully complied with. Advocate Deepak Thakre appeared for the State Government, while Advocate Gemini Kasat represented the Municipal Corporation. 

 

Expressing concern over the shrinking green cover in Nagpur, the High Court remarked that the city is no longer the green city it once was. During the hearing, Justice Anil Kilor observed that Nagpur earlier looked like a green forest, but over the years much of that greenery has disappeared. The Court said rapid urbanisation and large-scale tree felling have transformed many parts of the city into a concrete jungle.