The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of a serious civic issue and registered a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) over trees, electricity poles and transformers standing in the middle of cement roads across the city. The court observed that these obstructions are causing traffic disruptions and posing a major risk to public safety.
On Tuesday, a division bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Rajnish Vyas issued notices to several authorities, including the Secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD), the Municipal Commissioner, the Chief Managing Director of MSEDCL, the Chairman of the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), the Director of the Urban Development Department, the Garden Department of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the Divisional Commissioner. All respondents have been directed to file their replies within six weeks.
The court noted that trees and electricity poles are located in the middle of newly constructed cement roads in areas such as Manevada, Omkar Nagar, Medical Square, Khankhoje Nagar, Ayodhya Nagar, Sakkardara and other parts of the city. These obstructions, the court said, make driving hazardous and increase the risk of serious accidents.
The High Court also pointed out a lack of coordination among the NMC, MSEDCL and the Garden Department. As per court records, work on 33 cement roads is currently underway in Nagpur at various stages. More than 100 km of cement roads have already been completed, and the remaining work is expected to be finished by the end of 2025. The court further noted that adequate funds are available for the project.
Despite this, the presence of trees and power infrastructure on the roads continues to endanger public life. Following a petition filed by advocate Ujjwal Deshpande, who was appointed as amicus curiae to highlight the issue, the High Court registered the PIL and issued notices to the concerned authorities.
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