Pune corporation wants residents to provide land for tree plantation and take responsibility for upkeep | Pune News

With its initiative to compensate for trees cut for road widening struggling without adequate public spaces, the Pune civic body’s road department has urged housing societies to allow trees to be planted on their premises, with the onus of their maintenance put on residents.

However, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s garden department is unaware of such plans.

“Under the initiative, the PMC road department will plant approximately 5-6-ft-tall native species of trees in designated spaces along city roads as well as within private housing societies. All such trees will also be geo-tagged. The trees must be maintained carefully, and a biannual maintenance report must be submitted regularly for at least seven years,” said Chief Engineer Annirudha Pawaskar.

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Trees planted along public roads will be maintained by the PMC road department, whereas trees planted in private housing societies will be their responsibility, he said.

Trees felled as part of the road widening projects need to be replaced with new native species as per rules, said Pawaskar.

Festive offer

“Many citizens and NGOs believe that planting more native trees in the area can significantly benefit the city’s environment and help transform Pune into a truly green city in the coming years. Several housing societies have also expressed willingness to maintain these trees if they are planted on their premises,” Pawaskar said.

To start the initiative, North Main Road has been selected, Pawaskar said, adding the department was undertaking a road widening project on North Main Road. As many as 108 trees are planned to be removed and approximately 2,600 new trees planted as replacements.

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Preference will be given to housing societies or institutions that have space to plant at least 30 trees and allow them sufficient space to grow.

Only property owners, society chairpersons, secretaries, original apartment owners, and property managers will be eligible to participate in the initiative.

A WhatsApp group will be created for all participating societies or institutions. All communication, including suggestions and feedback, can be shared within the group. Trees must be planted in open soil within bungalows, societies, educational institutions, or vacant land within the PMC limits. Under no circumstances should trees be planted in balconies, terraces, or large pots.

Ashok Ghorpade, superintendent of the PMC’s garden department, however, said, “We are not aware of the initiative of the civic road department as we were not involved in it. It is true that there is a shortage of open space for tree plantation, so we are exploring spaces for tree plantation.”

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Incidentally, the civic garden department has sought open plots from the Maharashtra forest department to carry out tree plantation.

Another civic officer said that making residents responsible for the trees’ health was wrong. “This will discourage citizens from taking up tree plantation. Moreover, the civic garden once a year provides plants for tree plantation at a normal price to residents,” the officer said.

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