The Bombay High Court (HC) on Tuesday, February 18, stayed the cutting of 777 trees for the widening of State Highway-30 at Dahanu in Palghar district. The court also directed the respondents involved in the highway widening work not to cut these trees without the court's order.
The Municipal Council's Tree Authority issued a public notice regarding the cutting of 777 trees for the widening of the state highway. However, the contractor carrying out the widening work was allowed to cut the trees before any objections were received.
A local organization, Chauhan Foundation, has approached the High Court against it, claiming that this permission was given in violation of the Maharashtra (Urban Area) Tree Protection and Conservation Act. It has also filed a public interest litigation seeking the quashing of the order allowing the cutting of these trees.
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Arif Doctor took serious note of the petition during the hearing and issued notices to the Tree Authority, Dahanu Municipal Council, and the state Public Works Department (PWD) and ordered them to clarify their stand on the petition.
Earlier, the PWD had awarded the work of widening the Dahanu-Jawhar, Mokhada-Trimbakeshwar road on State Highway-30 to a private contractor. Since 777 trees would have to be cut for this widening, the contractor had applied to the Municipal Council's Tree Authority for its permission.
Subsequently, the authority issued a public notice on January 24 inviting objections. Accordingly, the trust submitted its objections on February 3, within the mandatory period of seven days prescribed by law.
However, the petitioners pointed out to the court that the Tree Authority had allowed the contractor to cut the trees before the expiry of this period, i.e. on January 28, and before the report on the trees was received from the concerned officer.
The petitioners told the court that the contractor deployed workers to cut the trees during the notice period and some trees were cut down.
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