Pune: Banyan Tree Cut Near SPPU On Vat Savitri Puja Day; PMC Says Metro Is Responsible

On Vat Savitri Puja day, Banyan trees are worshipped by many married women. It plays a significant role in all the rituals. There was a huge uproar in Pune over the pruning of a Banyan tree at the entrance of Savitribai Phule Pune University on this day. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) clarified that it was not responsible for the uprooting of the tree. The garden department stated that the Pune Metro authorities were responsible for this incident. Pune Metro authorities stated that the tree was obstructing their heavy machinery movement, and hence, they decided to trim it.

Social Activist Hema Chari said that the PMC's extreme pruning of the enormous banyan tree near Pune University's entrance is not only excessive but also extremely damaging. Whole branches have been hacked off, particularly on one side, which throws the tree off balance and raises the possibility that it may fall soon. This is not ordinary maintenance. The canopy and aerial roots are essential to the stability and well-being of banyans. Especially during the monsoon, cutting them so severely weakens the tree and leaves it open to fungal infections, pests, and sunburn. There are no indications of species-specific care; the cuts seem uniform and mechanical. PMC frequently assigns this work to contractors who are paid per tree and lack arboricultural knowledge or ecological monitoring. As a result, convenience rather than long-term care leads to improper cutting, she said, reported FPJ.

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Head of PMC Garden Department, Ashok Ghorpade, said that Pune Maha Metro pruned this tree and not PMC. He said, ‘Pune Maha Metro, not PMC, trimmed the banyan tree's branches in front of the SPPU. The uneven cutting of the tree branches, especially on the day of the banyan tree's worship (Vat Savitri), is alarming. When we contacted Pune Metro, they informed us that the branches were hindering the passage of large equipment used in the metro's construction. We have requested that they present us with the PMC approval letter, upon which we shall proceed.”