E-Paper
‘Complete hill safety work in NIBM, Mohammadwadi before monsoon’
NGT Western Bench on January 27 directed the Pune forest department to complete the hill safety work in NIBM and Mohammadwadi before the coming monsoon season
Pune: Disposing the case concerning civic issues raised by the residents of the NIBM area due to encroachment of forest areas and negligence towards hill safety, the western bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on January 27 directed the Pune forest department to complete the hill safety work before the coming monsoon season. The tribunal also criticised the department for concealing information related to the statement of the applicant, and warned the department to be careful about such things in future.
Taking suo moto action on a news report titled ‘NIBM Annexe residents raise concerns over forest destruction with authorities’ published in September 2024, the NGT had registered a case. The tribunal had directed the principal conservator of forests, Maharashtra forest department; and the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) to submit their response on the allegations levelled by NIBM residents about the destruction of forest areas in the NIBM and Mohammadwadi areas which in turn was causing various civic problems.
During the January 27 hearing, the forest department submitted its response based upon which the western bench of the NGT comprising justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and judicial member Vijay Kulkarni issued an order stating, “In order to find out the present condition of the reserved forest, officers of the forest department had invited Jaymala Dhankikar, a resident of NIBM Annexe and also the complainant in the said case, to visit the site in question in December 2024. During the visit, no destruction of forest or any illegal mining in the forest area was seen. However, the complainant found a RCC boundary wall in the forest area and her statement was recorded by the forester.”
“The complainant in her statement, which was provided to us through email, mentioned that every monsoon, rainwater, which erodes soil from the forest area, flows to the residential society of the complainant and the roads of Mohammadwadi village, leading to mud accumulation due to which rainwater does not seep into the ground and increase the groundwater level as expected. Therefore, the complainant requests the forest department to undertake works related to WAT or CCT of water and soil conservation in order to prevent soil erosion in the forest area which will help maintain environmental balance. The complainant also requests the forest department to complete the construction of the boundary wall,” the NGT order further stated.
In its response, the forest department accepted that the boundary wall constructed on the hillslope area had been damaged due to rainwater and therefore been pulled down. The forest department informed officials that necessary steps had already been taken to prevent soil erosion on the hillslope area of the reserved forest. A proposal was placed for budget allotment for soil and water conservation work to be carried out for 2024-25.
The NGT expressed satisfaction over the response submitted by the forest department and directed the latter to complete the hill safety work before the coming monsoon.
