Pune: The Western Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to submit a comprehensive report on all tree-cutting permissions issued and compensatory plantations undertaken since 2022 in various projects.
The PMC, which was earlier given three months to furnish the information, sought more time citing the extensive volume of data. The tribunal has now granted an additional two weeks, with the next hearing set for February 11.
The petition was filed in June by Pune resident and environmental activist Krunal Gharre. In a September hearing, the NGT instructed the PMC to submit the report within three months. The deadline, which fell in December, was extended after the civic body sought more time during the December 3 hearing.
In its latest order dated December 8 and uploaded on December 9, the tribunal also directed the PMC to include details of all tree-cutting permissions granted from December onwards until the next hearing. The civic body had cut trees for various projects across the city.
Gharre said he first sought the information in January 2024 through an RTI application seeking details on tree-cutting permissions and compensatory plantations. “The response said the information was not available. After the first appeal, we were told to collect data from individual ward offices. We compiled all the information and submitted it along with our petition to the NGT. It will be interesting to see what PMC presents in its response,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Gharre said he first sought the information in January 2024 through an RTI application seeking details on tree-cutting permissions and compensatory plantations. “The response said the information was not available. After the first appeal, we were told to collect data from individual ward offices. We compiled all the information and submitted it along with our petition to the NGT. It will be interesting to see what PMC presents in its response,” he said.
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