Maj Gen files RTI after Nagar Cantt Board cuts 80 trees

Anuradha Mascarenhas ; 08 2010, 03:34 hrs ; Pune:

Board president says the trees cut for a project were on defence land and procedures have been followed

For 75-year-old Major General (Retd) A K Dewan, it came as a shock when over 80 full grown peepul, neem and banyan trees were chopped and neatly sawed by the Ahmednagar Cantonment Board authorities for a proposed accommodation project for married Army officers.

Maj Gen Dewan filed an RTI on June 5 at Station HQ, Ahmednagar, seeking details like recommendations of the board on the number of trees that were to be cut for the ‘Married Accommodation Project (MAP)’ and the total price fixed for each tree that was auctioned. He also took up the matter with the Army HQ at Southern Command.

Maj Gen Dewan took 80 photographs on May 31. Major General, who was decorated with AVSM and Veer Chakra for his services in the Indo-China war is visibly upset at the ‘haste and undue urgency’ with which the trees were cut. “The training centre of the Armoured Corps known as ACC&S in the old cantonment town of Ahmednagar has beautiful old trees. There was enough space to build houses for married officers without destroying the trees,” Maj Gen Dewan told The Indian Express.

He has submitted the photographs of the trees that were hacked on approximately 2.5 acre land at East Ridge Road on May 31 to Deputy Conservator of Forests Office at Ahmednagar. When contacted, Deputy Conservator of Forests Dilip Gujela said while permission was not required from the forest department to cut trees on defence land, a transit pass was required for transporting material like logs of wood. This has not been done, said Gujela who has sent a letter to the Ahmednagar Cantonment Board, demanding an explanation.

Brigadier N Pathak, president of the Ahmednagar Cantonment Board said the trees have been cut on defence land and procedures have been followed. “This Station HQ received a green governance award in 2008,” said Brigadier Pathak. Cantonment Executive Officer of Ahmednagar Cantonment Board Vinita Deshpande told The Indian Express that on March 24 the Board had auctioned 250 trees for MAP-Phase II. “We sold trees for Rs 1.15 lakh to contractor Sayyed Salim. The tree felling project has to be completed in 75 days,” she said, adding that the forest department has never asked for a transit pass in so many years. She said the Board recently took a resolution to plant five trees for every tree that was cut. Defence Estates Officer, Pune circle, Dr T Arockianathan said ‘they were not out to destroy environment’.