Viral Video: Unauthorised tree felling at Taljai hills, Pune citizens demands accountability

The Pune forest department is set to conduct an examination of the Taljai Hill reserve forest area following claims from over 150 locals of unauthorized tree felling. A halt has been put on all such activities after a stakeholder meeting, with contractors instructed to avoid the area pending further instructions.

Concerned residents from the vicinity of Taljai Hill have reached out to the forest department, seeking clarity on the tree removal activities reported on March 10th. A formal inquiry regarding the matter has been directed to the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) of the Pune division.

Residents say the forest department hasn't shared enough information about work at Taljai Hill despite requests from the Sahakarnagar Citizen’s Forum (SCF) for years.

In a recent viral video on social media, during the meeting, a concerned resident questioned a person cutting trees on the ground, asking whether proper identification and marking of trees were being carried out. The worker admitted that he was instructed by the contractor to cut down all trees in the designated area without proper verification.

In response to the resident's concerns about the procedure, the DCF questioned the need for loud and angry voices, prompting further frustration among attendees. Another participant raised critical questions about the impact on flora, fauna, and biodiversity, noting that the forest department of PMC strictly adheres to protocols before tree cutting. The discrepancy in following these procedures by the current entity responsible for tree cutting was highlighted during the discussion.

On March 11th, residents sent a letter to Mahadev Mohite, deputy conservator of forests (DCF) at the Pune forest department, asking about tree-cutting at Taljai Hills. Mohite and his team, along with citizens, visited Taljai Hills on March 12th and gave instructions to ground staff after inspecting the site. Mohite also invited citizens to a meeting to create an urban joint forest management committee for Taljai Hills.

During the meeting, residents emphasized the need for transparency in activities such as repairing non-functional CCTV cameras, issuing gate passes to visitors, and granting permissions to contractors. "We urged labeling of trees by species to prevent the cutting of native species," said Indraneel Sadalge, a Sahakarnagar Citizens Forum member, as reported by TOI.

Officials from the department mentioned, "As part of our 10-year plan, we are removing invasive gliricidia trees in phases from 5-acre patches of the 3,880 hectares of reserve forest land in Pune."

Pradip Sankpal, range forest officer, the Pune forest department, said, "Every year, the forest department carries out a tree plantation drive at Taljai Hills. According to the working plan, we will plant around 4,800 trees at Taljai Hills this year. We are preparing accordingly, and we will plant the trees where we have uprooted Gliricidia plants. We consulted with the citizens and brought native plants. With their support, we will conduct the plantation activity."

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