Sena (UBT), BJP spar over amendment to tree felling law

Amidst allegations of corruption, the Shiv Sena and BJP in Maharashtra are at odds over an amendment to the law concerning tree felling rules. The state government has tabled a bill to delegate tree permission powers to local authorities, a move opposed by the Congress party. The BJP accuses the Shiv Sena of corruption and allowing tree cutting for the benefit of builders, while the Shiv Sena claims the amendment is linked to a specific project in Pune. The bill was passed despite opposition.

Mumbai: The state government’s move to amend the law concerning rules related to felling of trees has led to a slugfest between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The issue has been diverted to the alleged corruption in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

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The BJP attacked Sena-UBT, which ran the BMC for over two decades, saying it has indulged in corruption at all levels and allowed cutting of trees to safeguard the interest of the builders.

Sena retaliated saying it had never opposed development, but said they suspect that the amendment is being initiated to push Vetal Tekdi project in Pune.

The state government tabled a bill to amend Maharashtra (urban area) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act to delegate the powers of permission to the local authorities from the state level tree authority.

The amendment has transferred the powers of allowing the cutting of more than 200 trees of the age of over five years and including the heritage trees.

The powers were delegated to the state level tree authority in 2021 by the erstwhile Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government by amending the law.

When the bill came for the passage in the assembly, Congress MLA Prithviraj Chavan opposed it saying it will lead to blanket approvals to the cutting trees on mass basis.

“Under the guise of ease of doing business, the power to allow cutting of trees is being given to local authorities. This is against the protection of the environment,” said Chavan.

“In the backdrop of recent natural calamities, the amendment will prove against the interest of the society and the country,” added Chavan.

The BJP’s Mumbai MLAs Ashish Shelar, Amit Satam, Atul Bhatkhalkar, Yogesh Sagar, Manisha Chaudhari attacked Sena-UBT.

Shelar said that the amendment made by the former environment minister Aaditya Thackeray was to get the power at state level so that the minister could build his image as an environment-friendly leader.

“The amendment was done so that the MVA government could oppose all the infrastructure projects by stalling the permission to cut the trees,” he said.

Amit Satam said that the Sena projected itself to be environment friendly, but it had allowed felling of hundreds of trees during its rule in the BMC.

“I have a specific example in which the top leadership of Sena-UBT had taken personal interest to allow felling of 500 trees to facilitate a real estate project by a private builder. A top Sena leader had called me up to convince me after we opposed it in the standing committee of the BMC a few years ago,” he said.

Thackeray said that it was not true that they opposed the infrastructure projects. “The amendment was brought by our government to ensure that old and heritage trees are not cut rampantly. This government wants to make the cutting of trees easier for ease of doing business, but the ease of living is more important, and it could not be achieved without an environmentally friendly approach.

“It is not true that the state level tree authority was adamant about the felling of trees. Since January 2022, the authority had five meetings and gave permission to cut 11,500 trees, of which 300 were heritage trees that were over 50 years of age. The authority directed transplantation of over 550 trees,” he said.

Thackeray said that many infrastructure projects like MTHL, Coastal Road, Samruddhi Mahamarge progressed during their government.

“I think the new amendment brought by the Shinde government is to push the Vetal Takdi project in Pune,” he said. The Vetal Tekdi project has proposed tunnels under the hill to decongest traffic. The locals have opposed the project citing damage to the environment.

The bill was passed with a majority vote.