Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has requested additional time from the High Court regarding the development of the Ajni Intermodal Station project, which involves cutting down trees on 446 acres of land. The project has raised environmental concerns, leading to a public interest petition questioning the legality of the tree cutting process.
The court had previously instructed the Tree Authority to reapply for permission to cut trees, despite the initial approval given by the authority. During the recent hearing, the court noted several procedural flaws in the approval process and ordered NMC to provide detailed disclosures. The court also postponed the hearing after NMC requested more time.
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Tuesday 28 Jan. 2025
The petitioners, represented by Advocate Parvez Mirza, argued that the current Tree Authority, which is led by the Municipal Commissioner, lacks environmental experts. They claimed that the application process for tree cutting did not adhere to regulations, leading to inadequate scrutiny.
Tree Cutting and Affidavits
Under Phase 1 of the project, which covers 54 acres, 163 trees are scheduled for removal. The NMC filed an affidavit stating that the contractor had sought and received permission for the tree cutting as per legal requirements. Additionally, 2,400 new trees have already been planted as part of the compensatory measures.
The contractor informed the court that while permission for tree cutting has been granted, the actual cutting has not yet occurred. The affidavit also addressed complaints from the NGO and the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) accusing illegal tree cutting. NMC’s garden superintendent, Amol Chaurapgar, had also filed a police report requesting an FIR against the authority and contractor.
The police investigation, based on the FIR, reviewed tree cutting activities between December 30, 2020, and May 7, 2023. However, no eyewitnesses were found to corroborate the allegations against the company or authority.
