3 weeks ago
Bhopal Residents Question Tree Felling Near St Montfort School
Some big, old trees near St Montfort School in Patel Nagar, Bhopal were cut down on Wednesday.
People who live nearby and care about the environment are worried.
They think the city is losing too many of its green trees.
The tree cutting might be happening because the road is being made wider.
That kind of work is sometimes done by the National Highways Authority of India.
But there were no signs at the site telling people who was doing the work.
Officials said the trees were not cut without permission.
They said all the needed permissions were taken before the work started.
The city's municipal commissioner said the electricity company was allowed to cut trees as part of citywide maintenance.
It is not yet clear if these trees were part of that same maintenance work.
Several mature roadside trees near St Montfort School in Patel Nagar, Bhopal were felled on Wednesday.
The felling is possibly linked to an infrastructure project, likely road widening by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) or another agency.
No signboards or public notices were displayed at the site identifying the project or responsible agency.
Officials at the location said the trees were not removed arbitrarily and all necessary permissions had been obtained.
Municipal commissioner Sanskriti Jain said permission was granted to the discom for pruning and cutting trees as part of citywide maintenance, but it is unclear if Patel Nagar was included.
- Who
- Residents and environmental activists in Bhopal, municipal commissioner Sanskriti Jain, and officials of an executing agency (possibly NHAI)
- What
- Felling of several mature roadside trees near St Montfort School in Patel Nagar
- Where
- Patel Nagar, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
- When
- Wednesday
- Why
- Possible infrastructure development such as road widening, or citywide tree maintenance work; officials say permissions were obtained
Residents and Environmental Activists
Officials and Executing Agencies
Tree Felling Legitimacy
Residents and Environmental Activists
No signboards or notices identified the project, and residents question whether the felling is arbitrary and growing in the name of development.
Officials and Executing Agencies
Officials said the trees were not being removed arbitrarily and that all necessary permissions had been obtained from competent authorities.
Project Responsibility
Residents and Environmental Activists
It is unclear which agency is responsible; felling may be linked to road widening possibly carried out by NHAI or another agency.
Officials and Executing Agencies
Municipal commissioner Sanskriti Jain said permission was granted to the discom for pruning and cutting trees as part of citywide maintenance work.
Development vs. Green Cover
Residents and Environmental Activists
Cutting decades-old shade trees will adversely affect the local ecosystem and environmental balance.
Officials and Executing Agencies
The tree removal is part of necessary infrastructure or maintenance work being carried out across the city.
Key facts
- Location
- Near St Montfort School, Patel Nagar, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
- Date of incident
- Wednesday
- Possible cause
- Infrastructure development project, possibly road widening by NHAI
- On-site notices
- No signboards or public notices displayed
- Officials' response
- Trees were not removed arbitrarily; all permissions obtained
- Municipal commissioner
- Sanskriti Jain said permission was granted to the discom for citywide pruning and cutting
- Residents' concern
- Loss of decades-old shade trees may adversely affect the local ecosystem
Quotes
Sanskriti Jain
Municipal commissioner of Bhopal
“Municipal commissioner Sanskriti Jain said that the permission was granted to the discom for pruning and cutting trees as part of maintenance work being carried out across the city.”
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