On the occasion of World Environment Day, 61 senior citizens launched a symbolic “Chipko Movement” in Nagpur’s Sonegaon Amrai forest area to oppose the proposed felling of 61 trees by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). As part of the protest, women tied 61 rakhis to the trees and performed aarti with 61 lamps, pledging to protect the green cover.
The NMC has proposed cutting 61 trees, including three heritage trees, to facilitate the laying of a sewer pipeline through a section of the Amrai forest near Old Airport Road. A public hearing on the proposal has been scheduled before the Tree Authority, and more than 200 citizens have already submitted objections against the plan.
Senior citizens participating in the protest said the Sonegaon Amrai forest has been an integral part of their lives for decades and is home to several historical and ecological landmarks, including ancient temples, a Bhosale-era well and a centuries-old banyan tree.
They alleged that pipeline materials have already been brought to the site even before the completion of the public hearing process.
The protesters demanded that the civic administration change the alignment of the sewer pipeline and route it through a nearby drainage channel to save the trees.
They also warned that the proposed tree felling would negatively impact local biodiversity, including several bird species and peacocks regularly spotted in the area, and urged the NMC to reconsider the proposal.
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