7,400 trees de-choked from cement layers: NMC to HC

Nagpur: Nearly 7,400 trees across Nagpur were freed from cement concrete layers surrounding their trunks over the past year, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation told the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Thursday, stating that the move helped the trees "breathe freely".The update came during the hearing of PILs concerning indiscriminate concretisation around trees during urban development works in the city. A division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode earlier sought detailed information from the civic body on the removal of cement layers that obstruct the natural flow of air and water to tree roots and gradually weaken their health.Representing the NMC, advocate Gemini Kasat placed data before the court showing that cement concrete was removed from around 3,326 trees in March 2025 and another 4,123 trees in Feb 2026. The figures brought the total number of trees relieved from concrete encroachments to nearly 7,450 across the city. The civic body also informed the bench that concrete was removed from 406 of the 528 trees that were earlier specifically flagged for urgent intervention.The bench sought additional clarification from the NMC during the hearing, whether fresh instances of concretisation around trees emerged during ongoing development works. The judges also directed the NMC to submit zone-wise details of the workforce deployed for removing cement encroachments surrounding tree trunks.The court is currently hearing two PILs concerning the protection of urban trees in Nagpur. One of the cases was initiated suo motu by the HC in 2018 following concerns over large-scale tree felling linked to development projects across the city. The second petition was filed by environmentalist Sharad Patil and three other petitioners seeking the removal of cement concrete layers placed around trees in urban areas.As part of compliance with earlier HC directives, a committee headed by divisional commissioner was constituted to supervise the process of removing cement surrounding trees and ensuring better protection of the city's green cover. The development was placed before the court by amicus curiae Radhika Bajaj. The next hearing is scheduled for March 10.