PMC plans to axe 534 trees for devp projectsOR,PMC may axe 534 trees

PUNE: Going by what some departments of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have said in their proposals in January and February, as many as 534 trees, many of which are 50 to 100 years old, will have to make way for various development projects in the city.
Tree activists have objected to the proposals and said that if this is what the corporation is considering, can citizens expect any better from the builders?
The list of proposals for January-February show that the project management department under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission has proposed to cut 252 trees to widen the road from Dhayari phata to Nanded phata.This includes 25 mango trees - which are about 50 year old, and two tamarind trees - which are about 100 years old.
Another proposal, this time by the garden department itself, is to axe 267 trees at the Rajiv Gandhi zoological park to build enclosures for animals. Of this, 228 are subabhul trees and 29 are nilgiri trees, There are also three sandalwood trees that are proposed to be replanted.
The third major proposal comes from the road department, which has proposed to axe 12 trees for road-widening purposes near the Surya hospital. This includes six peepal trees, four audumbar trees and one mango tree, some of which are 40 to 60 years old.
Activist Vinod Jain said, "When the PMC itself proposes to cut so many trees, what can we expect from builders? The docket for February shows that the PMC has proposed to cut a total of 607 trees (534 from three proposals and the rest from minor projects), individuals have proposed to cut 63 dangerous trees and private builders have proposed to cut 207 trees. At this rate, nothing will be left of trees in Pune, because the rule to plant three trees in exchange of one is not followed. Nobody is there to monitor whether the trees that are planted are being maintained or not. I will protest if permissions are given to axe trees for the road-widening project and at the Katraj park."
Jain also raised the point of the PMC not pasting notices on trees that are to be cut, according to the Tree Act. "It is only when people see the notices that they get to know that the tree is going to be cut. How will they air their opposition if they don't know. But the PMC does not make the act public, precisely for the reason that people should not be aware."
When approached, Pune Tree Authority expert member Gajanan Tharkude said that these trees should not be axed and he would surely oppose it during the meeting. "The proposals to cut most of the tress are unnecessary."
When contacted, garden superintendent Bhanudas Mane said that most of the trees proposed to be cut in the Katraj zoo are subabhul trees, which grow like weeds and are dry. When questioned whether three trees will be planted as replacement, Mane said they will try to do so.
"Permission will not be given by the department to cut the 12 trees near the Surya hospital for road-widening. As regards the 252 trees at the Dhayari phata, I will propose that the plan be reviewed to save as many trees as possible."
What is noteworthy that chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had recently said at a public function in Pune that the situation is so alarming that it will soon have to be made compulsory for people to plant trees.