In order to ensure minimum cutting down of trees in the city, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation have issued nine guidelines or Standard Operating Procedure. The move comes after the issue of unnecessary cutting of trees was raised by Green Vigil foundation.
Taking serious note over the issue , the Nagpur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Abhijit Bangar made an appeal to the citizens to follow all the instructions.
Green Vigil Foundation, which works in the field of environment in Nagpur, brought to the notice of Bangar that the existence of trees in Nagpur is in danger.
According to the guidelines issued by NMC, Cutting down of trees will be permitted only in appropriate conditions.
The application should be submitted with an attachment of at least four colour photographs of all sides of the tree.
When planning the new construction, considering the location of the trees existing on the plot, the map should be prepared in such a way that it does not require cutting down of the tree.
If existing trees are creating problems in the planned construction, then the complete construction map must be attached along with the application.
The map should clearly show the location of trees and must mention that how is the tree a problem in construction.
Also the portion of the tree to be chopped should be marked in the photograph.
Before cutting down one complete tree, it is necessary for the applicant to at least plant five trees. In case of Industrial construction 10 trees should be planted.
The newly planted tree must be at least six feet in height. Applicant failing to fulfill these guidelines will not be allowed to cut down the tree. The applicant will also be responsible for maintenance and protection of the tree.
The NMC are also in process to develop a mobile application which will trace the exact tree location.
Early, the Green Vigil foundation has expressed concern over the chocking of trees due to cement road construction in the city after which the NMC commissioner had directed the concerned authorities to maintain a distance from trees during road construction.
