This story is from February 15, 2021

Joint survey ordered on mismatch of trees in Akola-Washim section

Joint survey ordered on mismatch of trees in Akola-Washim section
Nagpur: The Akola deputy conservator of forests (DyCF), Arjuna KR, has ordered a joint survey into the mismatch of 3,000 trees in the 100km section from Akola-Medshi-Washim to Hingoli border, which is being expanded to four-lane.
Taking cognisance of a TOI report published on February 12, Arjuna said a joint survey by National Highway Authority India (NHAI), PWD and forest officials will be done on February 16.
Both RFO of Akola and Patur will coordinate the survey. The NGOs alleging flaws have also been invited.
Green activist Jaydeep Das, who voiced concern over large-scale tree felling, said, “How will it be possible now to establish the mismatch of trees in the section when most of them have been already felled?”
Arjuna said, “We will establish facts from the enumeration of trees and details of hammer granted to a number of trees. The permission granted to NHAI to fell trees had lapsed on February 4. Prima facie it looks only two additional trees were felled after the permission expired. For this, we will take action as per Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection & Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, against the agency.”
On Akola RFO granting permission to fell trees in the municipal limit, Arjuna said, “This happened as the boundary of municipal limit was not known.”
According to information received from NHAI under a RTI query filed by Das, the 100km section had 7,402 trees.
On the contrary, the Arboriculture register maintained by the public works department (PWD) makes a mention of over 10,000 trees in the said section. Arboriculture is the record of cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, etc. The state highway was handed over to NHAI a couple of years ago.

Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Makbul aka Munna, founder of Sarpamitra Nisarga Samvardhan Bahuuddeshia Sanstha, Akola, had lodged a complaint with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and top authorities for various flaws in the counting of a number of trees in the said stretch. The state government has already ordered an inquiry.
Munna says their allegations are true as NHAI project director Rakesh Jawade on December 17 had lodged a complaint with Akola SP about the theft of 11 trees. “The complaint was just a formality and no efforts were taken by the NHAI to register an FIR against the theft,” says Munna.
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