E-Paper
Forest department issues show cause notice to private company for cutting trees
The officials collected samples of trees and further action will be taken after investigation, said a senior forest official
The Pune Forest Department has issued a show cause notice to a private company in Sanaswadi area for violation of the tree translocation norms and illegally cutting 12 Neem (Azadirachta indica) on the premises. The officials collected samples of trees and further action will be taken after investigation, said a senior forest official.
Tractor manufacturing and agricultural service provider company John Deere in June 2023 obtained permission from the forest department to cut 510 trees and translocation of 236 trees at its unit at Sanaswadi. However, based on a citizen complaint, the department found that the firm had chopped 12 trees to construct a road. The Shirur range forest officials visited the company premises on September 5 and dug up the road to find the tree roots. Later, the department issued a show-cause notice to the company and sought response by September 9 or face action.
Pratap Jagtap, Range Forest Officer for Shirur said, “Neem trees come under the schedule category. The company was issued permission for translocation of trees and not to cut it. The complainant said that birds had made nests on the trees, hence the company also harmed the wildlife. We have taken action under the Tree Conservation Act 1975, the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the Biodiversity Protection Act 2002. We await response from the company.”
John Deere representatives did not respond to emails and phone calls requesting comment.
