Nagpur: For the development of Ajni Railway Station and construction of the parking area, the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) cut down hundreds of trees in Ajni Railway Colony, allegedly without permission of the Garden Department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).
Ajni Railway Colony which is already in controversies due to InterModal Station (IMS) project in Ajni, is now in the limelight for the station expansion project. Citizens and environment activists are already protesting against the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for their proposal of cutting down thousands of trees in Ajni Railway Colony for IMS Project. Citizens and activists have expressed serious concern over the matter of felling of hundreds of trees in the same colony, now, in the name of development of Ajni Railway Station.
After getting information about the mass tree felling in the Colony near railway tracks, Amol Chourpagar, Garden Superintendent, NMC rushed to the spot. He found hundreds of trees felled by RLDA without seeking permission from the Garden Department.
Today’s Rate
Saturday 28 Sept. 2024
NMC, Imambada police inspect tree felling site at Ajni Railway Colony
The Garden Department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation and Imambada Police Station, on Sunday, conducted inspection of Ajni Railway Colony for illegal tree felling by the contractor of Railway Land Development Authority. RLDA is constructing a parking area under their Ajni station development project that was initiated recently. For the parking lot, the green activists are alleging that the contractor chopped off hundreds of full grown trees on the same land where the InterModal Station (IMS) in Ajni was proposed.
A team of Imambada Police Station visited the spot after getting complaints from green activists on Sunday and found that the labourers are working on the land. The contractor admitted that trees were chopped off without seeking permission from any authority. During the visit, police asked the contractor to stop the work.
Similarly, as per schedule, a three-member team of Garden Department started panchnama of the spot and started tree count of the locality which was already done by NMC on 44 acre land for the IMS project that’s under trial. As per sources, the tree counting process of the area will take a few days. The NMC will get the exact number of trees cut for the parking area project, only after this process.
The first phase of IMS project was proposed to be carried out on 44 acre land in Ajni Railway Colony. For the project, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) applied to the Garden Department to fell 1,200 trees in the area. After objections from citizens, NMC conducted the tree count process and found that 6,953 would be felled for the project. After so much protest for tree felling, NHAI refused to initiate the project at Ajni area.
“We registered a police complaint in Imambada Police Station on Sunday morning. In reply a team of the police station visited the site and enquired the labourers and contractor at the spot,” Jaideep Das, former Honorary Wildlife Warden said. “There is no problem with development of Ajni railway station because it was going as per the plan. But chopping off hundreds of trees for construction of a parking area is wrong and we are protesting against this illegal tree felling,” said Das.
Kaustav Chatterjee, Founder, Green Vigil Foundation said, “This is absolutely shocking that such a huge number of trees being felled without permission, that too by a Government body. NMC should investigate the matter deeply and take appropriate action against the defaulters.”
