Pune: Activists To Stage Chipko March Against Tree Cutting For City Projects On February 9th

To protest against the cutting of trees across the city for various projects, Jeevitnadi and Pune River Revival have announced a Chipko March on February 9th, 2025.

This is not the first time that environmental organizations in Pune are organizing protests. Time and again, they have accused the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) of damaging the environment under the River Rejuvenation Project. The march will begin at 3:30 PM from Kalmadi High School in Baner and will proceed to the Ram-Mula Confluence in Baner. Activists are calling for a sustainable approach to urban development that preserves the city's heritage trees and natural resources.

Recently, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) announced the plantation of 5,015 new trees as compensation for the trees it had cut along Ganeshkhind Road during its widening and flyover construction project. These trees, each 5-6 feet tall, have been planted across six locations within a 3 km radius and have been GPS-tagged, photographed, and tabulated to ensure transparency. This initiative is part of broader compensatory measures, including replanting 175 trees along Ganeshkhind Road and transplanting felled trees. In October 2023, the Bombay High Court issued a stay on further tree-cutting on Ganeshkhind Road after it was revealed that the PMC violated the Maharashtra Tree Act. The PMC had permitted the cutting of 192 trees without properly addressing public objections, with permissions granted by Commissioner Vikram Kumar on the same day objections were due. This hasty decision led to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by Parisar, economist Ameet Singh, and civic activist Hema Chari.