A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was brought against the Pune Riverfront Project, with the primary contention being that the municipal commissioner was given the authority to chop down trees.
Pune resident Shalvi Pawar filed a PIL against the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), mostly to oppose the Riverfront Development Project.
For the ambitious project, the PMC would need to take down trees. Previously, the Maharashtra State Tree Authority had the authority to allow tree cutting for more trees, but the Maharashtra government recently amended the law and empowered the concerned municipal commissioners to make the decision on tree cutting at the local level tree authority meeting.
The Maharashtra government took this decision on August 25 this year. The petitioner had challenged this and demanded not to allow Pune municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar to take any decision on allowing tree cuttings for the riverfront project.
PMC legal department head Nisha Chavan said, “The hearing on the petition concerned is on October 12. During the hearing, the PMC would put forth its side in the court.”
Earlier the same petition was filed in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for tree cutting for the riverfront project, but the decision came in favor of the PMC in the NGT.
