Despite a Supreme Court order prohibiting the cutting of indigenous trees, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has commenced tree removal along Gangapur Road. Environmentalists in the city strongly oppose this action and have approached the High Court. A decision on the matter is scheduled for July 3. Meanwhile, NMC is set to hear objections from citizens and environmentalists regarding the tree cutting.
Notices have been posted on approximately 10 to 12 trees, including species like banyan and peepal. These notices state, "These trees are major obstacles for traffic in this area, and hence NMC will cut them for the safety of commuters. If any citizen or environmentalist has objections, please gather at the banyan tree near Navshya Ganpati Temple on Gangapur Road on July 2 at 10 am."
Earlier, NMC had already felled several trees in Indira Nagar, Mauli Lawns area, and Nashik Pune Road. During the preparations for the Kumbh Mela, the administration proposed road widening, necessitating the removal of 12 trees on Gangapur Road. However, environmentalists appealed to the High Court, which ruled against cutting these indigenous trees, even if they obstructed the road. The court suggested diverting traffic around the trees. Despite this directive, the issue persisted, and NMC escalated it to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's order, reaffirming that the trees should not be cut down.
NMC claims that the trees will be replanted elsewhere in the city after removal, but past efforts of such replantation have not yielded positive results.