MoEFCC orders environmental impact assessment in Mohammedwadi, Kondhwa
Local resident Jaymala Dhankikar on August 7 wrote an email to the MoEFCC stating that reserve forest area have suffered immense environmental damage over the past 20 years due to indiscriminate tree cutting and hilltop flattening for various residential and commercial projects
After receiving a complaint from a local resident regarding the immense environmental damage wrought by indiscriminate tree cutting and hilltop flattening at Mohammed Wadi and the Kondhwa reserve forest area over the past 20 years, the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) on August 23 directed the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) to look into the matter and take necessary action. Accordingly, the forest department will now carry out environmental impact assessment in the said area, officials said.
Local resident Jaymala Dhankikar on August 7 wrote an email to the MoEFCC stating that Mohammed Wadi and the Kondhwa reserve forest area have suffered immense environmental damage over the past 20 years due to indiscriminate tree cutting and hilltop flattening for various residential and commercial projects.
The email stated that these activities have caused unprecedented environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, increased occurrence of landslides, and incidents of severe flooding during the monsoon season. Dhankikar demanded that a committee be appointed to investigate the lapses on the part of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and environment department, assess future dangers posed to area residents, and recommend remedial measures to mitigate the damage.
The email advised that along with the extent of tree cutting and hilltop flattening, the ministry also needed to study the impact on local wildlife and vegetation, soil- and water- pollution, and effectiveness of existing environmental regulations.
Upon receiving the email, the MoEFCC on Friday directed the PCCF to look into the matter and take necessary action as per the provisions of extant acts, rules and regulations in force. The MoEFCC also asked the PCCF to submit a report on the action taken at the earliest.
Dhankikar said, “With such immense encroachment in Mohammedwadi and the Kondhwa area, devastating environmental damage is taking place in this area. It must be assessed properly and I am glad that the ministry has taken up this issue and directed the forest department to take action in this regard.”
Mahadev Mohite, deputy conservator of forests, Pune forest department, said, “We have not received any instructions from our head office in Nagpur yet. To my knowledge, so far, the tree cutting is limited to Gliricidia (invasive plant species) removal only. Regarding encroachment, we came across only one encroachment and the case for the same is going on in the Supreme Court (SC). In this particular case, we will wait for instructions from our head office and further action will be taken as per the instructions.”
Nature Interpretation Centre at Baramati
As part of an environmental awareness programme, the Pune forest division is developing a Nature Interpretation Centre (NIC) at Kanheri village in Baramati. The centre will house various audio-visual and pictorial information about the flora and fauna of Maharashtra. The project recently got final approval from the state government to divert 0.95 hectare of reserve forest land for setting up of the NIC. Along with the NIC, the department will also develop a butterfly dome surrounded by a rock and cactus garden, open air amphitheatre, waterfront, and entrance gate, said Mohite.
