Fine not enough, say tree activists

Environmentalists move HC against PMC for dereliction of duty

Environmentalists move HC against PMC for dereliction of duty

Green activists in the city have moved the Bombay High Court against the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for allowing builders who hacked trees for construction to get away with just a fine. According to the law for every tree that is cut to develop a plot for construction, it is mandatory to plant three.u00a0

The PMC Standing Committee gives the law breakers an option of paying double the fine, instead of planting trees, thus allowing them to cut any tree illegally. This they say will add at least Rs 100 crore to the PMC's
revenue kitty.

However, environmental activists said the civic body's move in a way was regularising and endorsing illegal structures.

"We are already fighting against the PMC Garden Department for cutting down trees illegally and now this issue will also be put forward in the high court," said Vinod Jain, a green activist. "Regularising illegal structures may up PMC coffers, but it will encourage incidents illegal tree hacking. Builders, who habitually flout the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, will be let off scot-free if they pay a hefty fine."

Even PMC subcontractors who construct roads in the city blatantly violate the rules, he said. "There are at least 19 such roads where this rule is violated openly," Jain said.

Another green activist Deepak Vahikar said that there are at least 65,000 instances where the rule was not followed.u00a0

u00a0"There should be proper co-ordination between the building permission department and the garden department of the civic body to enforce both the laws in a rational manner," he said.

Vahikar said over 15,000 trees were cut in areas under the jurisdiction of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation in 2010 alone for construction purpose.