Pune: Over 500 trees, some more than a century old, are at risk of being felled along University-Ganeshkhind Road for the second phase of Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) road widening project.Thousands of citizens have via email as well as through protests registered their objections to this plan, and civic officials claimed that they are re-analysing the details to incorporate people’s suggestions and save as many trees as possible. PMC’s current plan here involves building a flyover, which is almost done, beside the upcoming Metro line. Citizens asked that if these two measures have already been taken to ease traffic flow, what is the need to further widen the road and cut more trees? Many pointed out that the Metro pillars were laid according to the old DP, wherein the road width was 36m, as opposed to the new DP width of 45m. “As temperatures rise dangerously, every tree is precious for the city,” said Hema Chari, a resident of the neighbourhood and one of the petitioners who filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in Bombay high court in 2022 to save these trees. In April 2024, HC had directed PMC to alter the design for Phase 2 of the project to save as many trees as possible. However, the civic body did not act on this directive and instead, released a docket in March this year to fell 529 trees from RBI College Chowk to Shimla Office Chowk. “We have zero faith in PMC for transplantation or compensatory plantation, as it has made several assurances in the past, but never followed through,” said Ameet Singh, one of the other litigants in the PIL. “PMC’s plan just creates new bottlenecks as Metro pillars have been installed as per the old DP’s 36m road width,” he added. At least 7,000 citizens have registered their objections to the docket, and a hearing is yet to be scheduled. Alternative plan saves all trees Now, citizens have submitted an alternative design to PMC. They wish to ensure that no trees get felled along the stretch in question. “It is only logical to not allow vehicles to zigzag around Metro pillars that have already been laid,” explained Meghna Bhandari, an architect, who has worked on the alternative design. “IRC guidelines mandate that all vehicles travel in a straight line to avoid any kind of congestion or chaos. Keeping this in mind, we proposed that the space behind the pillars can be converted into a cycle track, footpath and multi-utility zone (MUZ),” Bhandari said, adding, “In the plan we have proposed, no further tree felling is required. Metro has already cut what was coming in the way of their staircases.” Phase 1 goof-ups The first phase of road widening was initiated on the stretch in 2022-23, from University Chowk to RBI College Chowk. As per a report by the technical committee set up on the directive of the HC, the fate of 403 trees was in question when the project began. Of these, PMC determined that 225 trees were to be left untouched. As a result, the remaining 178 trees would have to either be cut or transplanted. The committee was set up in 2024, during a very advanced stage of the project implementation — by this time, PMC had already axed 318 trees here, despite its own own calculations. The committee recommended that PMC carry out compensatory afforestation by planting a minimum of 5,000 trees for those felled in Phase 1 in the vicinity of the project corridor. A pedestrian’s nightmare Unless pedestrians are willing to jump over barricades and medians, the existing University-Ganeshkhind Road stretch has barely any facilities for their safe movement. There are several housing societies around and house helps frequently walk from Model Colony to Bhosalenagar and vice versa. They and other residents who want to cross the road are forced to walk long distances to find an opening in the median. To avoid this, many jump over the barricades and risk their lives. Citizens’ movement: Human chain to protect trees On May 1 this year, over 100 city residents formed a human chain on University-Ganeshkhind Road to protest against the felling of over 500 trees on this stretch for a road widening project. With numerous trees being axed for growing infrastructure projects, the participants cited frustration with PMC’s apathy towards the city’s green cover. The chain started from Shimla Chowk and stretched to Hardikar Hospital, subsequently marching to Agriculture Chowk. Residents from all walks of life and various organisations working to protect the environment joined. “We were all speaking up for century-old trees. We have also formed a Citizens Tree Conservation Committee on this occasion to hold the civic body responsible for its decisions. These trees must be protected,” said Rupesh Kesekar, one of the founders of the committee. Mapping for data collection: Weekends for green cover At least 40 residents of the city have spent their weekends over the last month-and-a-half mapping the larger-than-life trees that give their shade to University-Ganeshkhind Road. “When we learned that these trees were to be chopped down for a road widening project, we started researching to explore their ages, numbers and types. However, there was no data available. So, in an effort to collect and compile this information, we started mapping the trees,” said Akanksha Pandey, a Wakad resident who is taking part in this activity. Volunteers on ground first measure the girth of the tree to estimate its age, collect clear pictures of its leaves to figure out what kind of plant it is, and also note down any thriving ecosystem on the tree. “Some of these trees are more than 100 years old and need to be protected at all costs,” added Pandey. As per tree mapping done by citizens between April 18 and May 8, there are 53 tree species on this stretch. Most are banyan, Chinese banyan, weeping fig trees, yellow flame trees, paper mulberry and false Ashoka, among others. Volunteers said the mapping activity was also a way to bring more citizens to the site and raise awareness about the imminent loss. Fighting The Good Fight: Litigants Speak University-Ganeshkhind Road’s widening was proposed in the DP as part of flawed ‘supply side’ thinking — that more roads solve congestion. But modern transport thinking emphasizes strengthening public transport and disincentivizing personal vehicle use. As the road is being widened, PMC must create wide footpaths, a cycle lane, and dedicated space for trees, besides ensuring safe access to the Metro once it starts. This can be achieved by making a detailed design in compliance with IRC guidelines— Ranjit Gadgil | Programme director, Parisar If Metro pillars are already in place as per the old DP and a road width of 36m, continuing to focus on widening this road to 45m is a disaster. It will be a cause for accidents and traffic chaos in the near future. The authorities, as far as I know, have not even done a road safety audit along this stretch to ascertain the validity of their plan. They just want to cut trees. In the first phase, 273 trees were to be felled, of which 70 were to be transplanted. But, because of the unscientific felling, not a single tree could be transplanted — Ameet Singh | Economist We have struggled to protect trees on University-Ganeshkhind Road for years. I still remember several nights in 2016-17 when I put my toddler to sleep and rushed to this road to sit under trees with other people, to prevent them from being axed overnight. It is frustrating to see the same cycle repeat despite years of public objections, court interventions and expert concerns. It is emotionally exhausting to witness mature trees disappear despite warnings about the ecological cost — Hema Chari | Bhosalenagar resident Netas On The Issue Since the legal framework governing urban tree protection has undergone significant evolution in recent years, it now mandates scientific assessment, procedural and technological transparency and personal accountability for municipal officers. I am confident that the trees, currently under the scanner on this road, will not be required to be felled if mandates under the law are complied with. Every tree lost further exacerbates the urban heat island effect, rising temperatures and deteriorating air quality, which is a cause for worry— Vandana Chavan | Former Member of Parliament I have spoken to the civic authorities and asked for details of their plan to see exactly how many trees are coming in the way and in what manner. I will most likely meet officials this week and genuinely explore how many trees can be saved. I will definitely be looking into it. I will see if anything practical can be worked out and how the project can go ahead in a sensitive manner — Siddharth Shirole | Shivajinagar, MLA Officials Speak ‘Vision For Next 10-15 Years’This road widening has been planned keeping growing vehicular movement in mind for the next 10-15 years at least. Initially, widening was done since the traffic police had mandated creating space for vehicular movement while the Metro line was being built. The Metro pillars aren’t placed exactly at the 36m mark, so the plan for the second phase is to have bus stops/bays, cycle tracks and footpaths collectively set up behind the pillars. If required, I will suggest that the width of the footpath be extended in certain sections to accomodate the bigger trees. This has been done in projects elsewhere, so we can study the feasibility to save more trees — Dinkar Gojare | Chief engineer (projects), PMC ‘No Felling Nod Given Yet’ I recently spoke to a PMC road department official and discussed this widening plan. I have asked them to rethink as there is already one contempt of court petition ongoing in this project and we don’t want another one. We will have a Metro line on this stretch and so, over a period of time, at-grade traffic is bound to reduce. Even if widening has to go forward, it should be ensured that it is done properly. As of now, no permission has been given to fell any tree on this stretch — Ashok Ghorpade | Member secretary, Tree authority department
