Case pending in HC but NHAI fells huge neem tree at Mankapur
The NHAI felled a huge neem tree for road widening near the sports complex on Mankapur Road despite public interest litigation (PIL) pending in the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) seems to be behaving as if it is above the law.
The division bench of Justice BR Gavai and CV Bhadang heard the public interest litigation (PIL) filed on June 22, 2012 by Nature Conservation Association (NCA) and had directed NHAI to first plant 2,000 trees (five times more) in lieu of 367 felled within NMC limits on Koradi Road.
NHAI wants to cut down another 32 big neem trees between Mankapur Chowk and Mental Hospital Square instead of planting these trees. However, the permission to NHAI has been turned down by NMC and has been asked to first show the 2,000 trees they had been asked to plant.
On Saturday evening the NHAI contractor uprooted the neem tree with a machine and dumped it on the road side, as confirmed by the Footpath vendors on Mankapur Road. They also covered the spot with murrum, ostensibly to show there was no tree.
M Chandrashekhar NHAI project director pleaded ignorance about the issue. “Felling of 32 trees is in conflict. Whether trees are important or road it is up to the authorities to decide. I’m on leave and I’m not aware about tree felling. Till the day I went on leave, NMC had not granted permission to fell trees,” he said.
Sudhir Paliwal of Vidarbha Environment Action Group (VEAG) said, “NHAI has failed to understand the issue that planting of trees on both sides of road is a must, considering the level of pollution Koradi and Khaparkheda thermal power plants will cause in future.”
NB Shrikhande NMC garden superintendent said on the said patch NHAI had not been granted permission to fell trees. On Tuesday the NMC tree inspector did a spot panchnama and will issue show cause notice to NHAI on Wednesday.
On March 19, a copy of estimate given by NMC for planting 1,955 trees was placed on record by the petitioner’s counsel SP Kshirsagar. However, in the court AA Kathane NHAI counsel had submitted that on Mankapur Road, where four-laning is planned, only 32 trees need to be felled. 100 trees need to be planted and NHAI is ready to deposit cost of 100 trees as per 1:3 plantation ratio. NHAI wants to plant 1,855 near Jamtha, where there is already green cover, of the 1,955 trees to be planted for the 367 felled trees.
Source: Times of India
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