A kilometre-long stretch near Yerawada Central Jail will soon have a 60-feet-wide road, but at the expense of several 20-year-old trees.

A kilometre-long stretch near Yerawada Central Jail will soon have a 60-feet-wide road, but at the expense of several 20-year-old trees.

According to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme, the PMC Garden department has started work along the four-km-long Airport Road till Deccan College. The ambitious Rs 29.3 crore project will, in the process, destroy several old trees that are located on both sides of the kaccha road at present.

Court permission
The PMC has sought permission from the Bombay High Court to begin the work.

About 15 trees have already been cut in the area. Huge branches of an old banyan tree have also been chopped off. Activists of Shree Sai Prathishthan are upset about it and have already started their protests against PMC.

"The PMC and JNNURM have portrayed a wrong picture to the high court and have got the necessary permission," said Deepak Vahikar, an environmentalist. "The PMC did not follow the procedure of declaring its intention by inviting suggestions and objections from the local people."

Residents of the area have also protested and raised issues stating that the PMC work can be carried out without cutting the trees.

'Take our views'
Local residents and activists Deepak Nikalje, Neelesh Dive and Vikas Galande have been part of the protests as well. "PMC should get our views and then enforce its decision," said Nikalje. "Instead of cutting the old trees, PMC can get some vacant land from the proposed Open Prison project. We will approach the high court."

"We have a deep concern about the environment and care for old trees. We will try and see how the trees can be saved," said Nandkumar Karale, Executive Engineer JNNURM.

PMC Garden Superintendent Ashok Ghorpade said that they would have to cut 258 trees out of the total 384 trees on the road.

However, he also assured that 126 trees would be replanted.