Once the second greenest city of India, Nagpur has lost its green cover rapidly over the last few years. Now we know why. Nagpur Municipal Corporation's tree authority is set to grant its nod for cutting down of 551 more trees in its meeting on Tuesday.
The authority would deliberate upon applications from builders and other organizations to cut the trees for different development projects and other reasons. Of course, with permission to cut each tree there would be stipulation to plant five. Either the applicant must plant the trees himself or deposit Rs 2500 per tree with NMC for NMC's garden department to do so.
But as reported by TOI recently, NMC has neither planted those trees itself nor ensured that applicant did so in the last five years. In the period it permitted cutting down 3278 trees collecting a fee of Rs 81.95 lakh in the process. These are in addition to hundreds of trees cut down without permission or ones that got uprooted in storms or ones that were choked to death by NMC's road widening works.
The single biggest application, in Tuesday's meeting, is from PDKV's Agriculture College, which has sought permission to cut 389 big trees (57 Guava and 332 Babul trees) to develop a high-tech orange nursery at Telangkhedi Garden. PDKV was in the news when it had illegally chopped down hundreds of trees near Maharajbagh earning the wrath of High Court.
A builder Vikram Wahi has sought permission to cut 150 big trees (10 to 25 feet height) on his plot on Umred Road to build a shopping mall. Suhasini Realty has also applied for cutting five big trees including pipal, banyan and three others for construction of Garden Enclave apartments on Model Mills Road, Ganeshpeth. Against these and other applications, the NMC must ensure planting of 2755 trees and their healthy growth. Of course, it would not be done.
A senior garden department official informed, "Though civic body gives permission to chop trees once fee is deposited, it never bothers to see whether the trees are actually planted or that they survive."
The authority would deliberate upon applications from builders and other organizations to cut the trees for different development projects and other reasons. Of course, with permission to cut each tree there would be stipulation to plant five. Either the applicant must plant the trees himself or deposit Rs 2500 per tree with NMC for NMC's garden department to do so.
But as reported by TOI recently, NMC has neither planted those trees itself nor ensured that applicant did so in the last five years. In the period it permitted cutting down 3278 trees collecting a fee of Rs 81.95 lakh in the process. These are in addition to hundreds of trees cut down without permission or ones that got uprooted in storms or ones that were choked to death by NMC's road widening works.
The single biggest application, in Tuesday's meeting, is from PDKV's Agriculture College, which has sought permission to cut 389 big trees (57 Guava and 332 Babul trees) to develop a high-tech orange nursery at Telangkhedi Garden. PDKV was in the news when it had illegally chopped down hundreds of trees near Maharajbagh earning the wrath of High Court.
A builder Vikram Wahi has sought permission to cut 150 big trees (10 to 25 feet height) on his plot on Umred Road to build a shopping mall. Suhasini Realty has also applied for cutting five big trees including pipal, banyan and three others for construction of Garden Enclave apartments on Model Mills Road, Ganeshpeth. Against these and other applications, the NMC must ensure planting of 2755 trees and their healthy growth. Of course, it would not be done.
A senior garden department official informed, "Though civic body gives permission to chop trees once fee is deposited, it never bothers to see whether the trees are actually planted or that they survive."
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