Forest dept plans oxygen park in Punawale reserve forest

PUNE: After repeated complaints about tree cutting on forest land at Punawale in Pimpri-Chinchwad and a demand by the member of legislative assembly (MLA) to build an oxygen park there, the forest department has initiated an oxygen park project in the reserve forest at Punawale. A proposal for the same has been submitted to the district collector in the last week of January, and we are likely to get permission for the same by the end of February, said a senior forest official. Meanwhile to prevent unauthorised tree cutting, the forest department is also planning to build a compound around the reserve forest area to restrict entry into the forest area.

The reserve forest land at survey number 23 in Punawale is an area with dense vegetation. The land comes under the Paud forest range. Sitting on 22 hectares, it is home to hundreds of fully grown native trees, various plants, birds and micro species. However, rampant tree cutting by unknown persons has raised concerns over protection and preservation efforts in the area.

Vitthal Baral, a resident of the Punawale area, said, “There are several construction projects underway in this area and labour camps have been set up by the companies. People living in these labour camps are often found cutting trees for various purposes. We have caught them multiple times and also informed the municipal corporation and the local MLA about the same. Fully grown trees are being chopped by these labourers. We have demanded that a fence be put up around the forest land and security guards be appointed to prevent such incidents.”

Sumit Dhage, another area resident, said, “This forest area is vast and it is important to protect it. Increasing vigilance will certainly help a lot in preventing tree cutting in this area.”

Taking note of citizens’ concerns, Shankar Jagtap, member of the Chinchwad legislative assembly, on January 16 wrote to the Pune forest department urging action against rampant tree cutting in the reserve forest. He also wrote that considering the potential of this urban forest, it should be developed as an oxygen park. The MLA also demanded that a compound wall be constructed around the forest land apart from appointing sufficient security personnel to prevent tree cutting in the area.

Acting on the demand by the MLA and citizens, the forest department initiated the oxygen park project at Punawale. Atul Jainak, assistant conservator of forests (ACF), Pune forest department, said, “We have prepared a draft for the oxygen park in the reserve forest area in Punawale. Since the project is expected to be executed under the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC), the proposal for the same has been submitted to the district collector in the last week of January. We are expecting to get a response to it soon.” Jainak refused to share further details on the same.

Meanwhile, to prevent illegal tree cutting in the reserve forest area, the forest department is now planning to build a compound wall around the forest land. A proposal for this is being prepared by the forest department and will be soon sent to the forest head office in Nagpur. Work will start once they get permission for the same. It will take around four to five months to complete the work after receiving permission, Jainak said.