PCMC Shows 32 Lakh Trees in Census, Contractor Issued Show-Cause Notice
PCMC Shows 32 Lakh Trees in Census, Contractor Issued Show-Cause Notice (representational pic)
The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has claimed that the city has 32,16,799 trees, based on a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based tree census. However, a delay in developing an app for online permissions related to tree trimming and cutting has led to the contractor receiving a show-cause notice.
According to the Maharashtra Urban Areas Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, the standards for roadside trees depend on road width. Roads 24 meters or wider must have one tree every 10 meters. For 12-24 meter-wide roads, both sides should have a tree every 10 meters, and for 6-12 meter-wide roads, a tree every 20 meters is mandatory. The municipal corporation claims it will meet these standards.
In 2007, the city had 18.93 lakh trees, but no census was conducted until 2017. In 2018, then-Commissioner Shravan Hardikar directed a GIS-based tree census. Mumbai-based Terracon Ecotech Pvt. Ltd. was awarded the contract through a tender process. The project, costing ₹6.76 crore, included tree census and maintenance for two years.
The census is now complete, revealing 32.16 lakh trees in the city. However, the contractor failed to develop the app for online permissions despite the project deadline ending. Due to this lapse, the garden department has withheld ₹1.69 crore in payments and issued a show-cause notice to the company.
Critics, including Vijay Patil, chairperson of the Pradhikaran Civic Safety Committee, allege the census was not scientific. They claim the actual tree count is closer to 15 lakh, questioning the survival rate of planted trees. Assistant Commissioner Umesh Dhakne confirmed the notice and acknowledged the lapse in app development.
