The long-delayed proposal to build an underpass at Nagpur’s central Zero Mile area has taken a step forward. In a hearing held on Friday, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court indicated that construction could proceed, subject to a satisfactory report from the Tree Authority.
The underpass aims to reduce persistent traffic congestion between Manas Chowk, Civil Lines, and the busy Sitabuldi stretch. However, the project has drawn objections due to the number of trees that may be felled. Social activist Jaideep Das raised environmental concerns and submitted a letter to the court, urging it to protect the city’s green cover.
Amicus curiae Adv. Mahalle and NMC counsel Adv. Jaimini Kast presented their arguments during Friday’s hearing, where the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court emphasized that any further action on the underpass project hinges on the Tree Authority’s report. The court allowed preliminary construction work to begin, provided it does not involve cutting any trees.
Meanwhile, MahaMetro informed the court that it had already planted 1,700 trees—exceeding the required 1,500—as part of compensatory afforestation. Only geo-tagging of these trees remains pending. In response, the High Court directed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the Tree Authority to inspect the plantation sites and submit a factual verification report.
Concern Over Heritage Trees
In previous hearings, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) acknowledged that it had approved the proposal to cut trees for the Zero Mile underpass project but clarified that no action had been taken so far. As per the NMC’s report, the project site includes 104 general trees aged between 8 and 40 years, along with 11 heritage trees aged between 52 and 214 years. The proposed tree cutting spans from the NCC’s No. 2 Air Squadron office on Institute of Science Road to Maheshwari Bhavan, covering both sides of the stretch.
Raising serious environmental concerns, social activist Jaideep Das argued that the project could lead to the misuse of crores of rupees in the name of development. He urged a thorough re-evaluation of the plan, keeping in mind its long-term environmental consequences.
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