NAGPUR: Mysterious disappearing of trees around Futala lake have stumped environmental crusaders of the city who have claimed that at least 100 trees have been chopped off illegally.
According to their complaint to municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B, MahaMetro, which is the executor of Futala redevelopment project, has felled trees on a large-scale for construction of parking plaza, viewing gallery and bund wall which are part of the Telangkhedi beautification plan.
Officials of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), who denied granting permission for cutting such a large number of trees, will be carrying out a joint spot inspection with MahaMetro officials and environmentalists on Monday.
TOI visited the spot with a group of environmentalists and found that the row of huge trees, which once stood tall beside the lake, is now missing. At some spots, traces of trees being felled were visible. “MahaMetro officials told us that no trees existed here which is an absurd statement. We have been seeing this road since years and know that there was a huge patch of fully grown trees,” said members of NGO Swacch Nagpur who have been in the forefront of protecting green cover in the city.
Few trees, which were probably a part of the roadside cover, still exist. “If there was no green cover, how are these trees standing in the middle of the road? Not just here, trees have been illegally cut down the slope too where a parking plaza is being constructed. It was a dense green area,” added the NGO members.
On Friday, they released satellite images of the lakeside road stretch, which clearly show the declining green cover in the area.
In their complaint to the civic chief, the NGO stated that many trees are missing from the site. “We have learnt from the garden department it that no permission was given to cut the 128 trees for which a public hearing was held in November. At that time also, we had provided proof of illegal cutting of trees near Futala. In spite of repeated evidences, NMC seems reluctant to act against the perpetrators because of the involvement of some high-profile netas,” they wrote.
In November last year, TOI too had reported that NMC had granted permission to MahaMetro for felling only 28 trees. A public hearing was held regarding felling of around 128 trees, for which NMC has not given permission till date.
TOI could not contact the concerned MahaMetro officials. Greens have demanded strict action against MahaMetro and filing of a first information report. “If rules are different for some agencies, then we would need to move to higher authorities,” they added.
