The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday expressed strong disapproval of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) over fresh instances of trees being re-encased in concrete. The court had previously ordered drives to remove concrete around trees across the city.
Court Questions Negligence
Hearing two public interest litigations (PILs) filed by Sharad Patil and others concerning the removal of concrete around trees and prevention of tree felling during development works, a division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode questioned the NMC about what it termed as repeated negligence in protecting urban greenery.
"You neither seem concerned about the existence of trees nor about public money," the bench orally remarked, referring to recent cases from Narendra Nagar and Civil Lines, where trees were allegedly clogged again with concrete during ongoing infrastructure works.
Previous Directives Ignored
The court noted that it had earlier issued clear directives, making the NMC responsible for removing concrete around trees irrespective of which authority controlled the road or area concerned. These directives followed findings that nearly 3,691 trees across areas under various agencies in Nagpur were choked in concrete, adversely affecting their survival and growth.
During Thursday's hearing, the judges expressed surprise that after spending public funds on unchoking drives, the same trees were again choked with concrete during fresh construction activity. They observed that civic officials were expected to supervise development work and ensure that contractors did not repeat such violations.
Lack of Monitoring and Accountability
The court also sought an explanation from the NMC regarding the apparent lack of monitoring and accountability in the matter. Court-appointed amicus curiae advocate Radhika Bajaj pointed out that the city's tree census report had still not been submitted before the court despite earlier directives.
In response, the NMC informed the bench that tree census work in most zones had been completed. The bench then directed the civic body to place a detailed tree census report on record before the next hearing.
The court's strong stance underscores the ongoing battle to preserve urban greenery in Nagpur, with the judiciary holding local authorities accountable for their actions and inactions.
