The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has issued a show-cause notice to its garden department chief, Mahesh Gargote, over allegations that the number and estimated age of 52 trees felled for a developer’s project in Pimpri were understated, potentially reducing the compensation payable to the civic body.
The notice was issued by the civic chief on October 27 after members of the Aam Aadmi Party raised a complaint alleging that officials prepared conflicting reports on the trees. According to the complaint, the cumulative estimated age was initially recorded as 1,018 years but was later reduced to 104 years in a revised assessment.
Raviraj Kale, state president of the AAP’s youth wing, alleged that the revised report was prepared under pressure from some corporators or for personal gains benefiting the developer. These allegations have not been established. Gargote has been asked to submit his explanation, after which the civic administration will assess the matter and decide on further action.
The difference in the estimated age has direct financial implications. Kale said the developer had informed the civic body that there was no space available for compensatory plantation and that monetary compensation could instead be paid. Based on a rate of Rs15,000 per year of a tree’s estimated age, he claimed that the amount would have been around Rs1.5 crore under the first assessment. The revised estimate reduced the claimed amount to Rs15.6 lakh.
The tree-felling permission was granted by the tree authority in March, and the felling was completed last month, according to the report. Kale said he had met the additional municipal commissioner and the municipal commissioner over the previous two to three weeks, seeking an inquiry and action against those responsible.
The Maharashtra (urban areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, links compensatory tree requirements to the estimated age of trees that are felled. Where a developer cannot undertake plantation and opts for the civic body to carry it out, a monetary deposit is required under the applicable provisions. This makes the accuracy of tree assessments important not only for environmental compliance but also for determining the financial obligation attached to an approved project.
The PCMC notice described the complaint as alleging that the number and age of the trees had been understated, resulting in unauthorized felling, violation of norms and a significant loss of revenue to the corporation. A senior PCMC official told Times of India that appropriate action would be initiated after Gargote’s explanation is received and assessed.
