PIL filed, next hearing on February 23
Aurangabad, Dec 31:
The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court expressed that a concerted effort is needed without blaming each other for declaring the 300-acre Himayat Bagh area of the city a biodiversity and protected area.
Defendants do not appear to be taking the matter seriously, the bench comprising Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice SG Dighe said. Adv Sandesh Hange representing the Umbrella Foundation, has filed a PIL as a party in person. The government will not be able to take further action unless the local body sends a proposal in this regard, said assistant public prosecutor Atul Kale. The forest department, the agriculture university and the archeological survey department are the defendants in the petition. It requires positive efforts to save the Himayat Bagh that is the oldest, historic and biodiversity garden in the city. The garden is already registered as a protected monument. Some of the trees here are 400 years old. Most of the trees are mango, tamarind, wood apple and Indian blackberry. Defendants are expected to take positive steps till the next hearing, the bench said. Adv Satyajeet Bora represented the university and assistant solicitor general Ajay Talhar represented the Center.
Declare trees older than 50 years protected trees
According to the petitioner, the state government declared trees older than 50 years in the city as protected trees. Such trees cannot be cut down without the permission of the state government committee. According to the information provided by the agriculture university, there are 9000 trees in Himayat bagh and 500 trees are more than 400 years old.