PMC, forest dept conduct joint visit to Devrai at Ram Nadi-Mula River confluence

Officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and forest department carried out a joint visit to Devrai aka ‘Sacred Grove’ during which they interacted with citizens who raised several objections to the Riverfront Development (RFD) Project at the confluence of the Ram Nadi and Mula River, especially the razing of trees in the grove for the same. The officials assured citizens that no harmful activities would be carried out in the grove, and also asked them to submit their suggestions on the project.

The joint visit was carried out against the backdrop of concerns raised by citizens over the safety of the sacred grove due to ongoing work on the RFD Project at the confluence of the Ram Nadi and Mula River. Recently on March 27, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) directed the state forest department to look into the people’s grievances and take action against the alleged destruction of the Devrai (and the trees therein) at the Ram Nadi-Mula River confluence for the RFD Project. Accordingly, the range forest officer of the Pune forest department paid a visit to the Devrai and recommended that the RFD Project be halted. In his inspection report, the range forest officer highlighted that the sacred grove, spanning eight hectares of land, is home to multiple plant species and schedule 1 and schedule 2 wildlife species such as the Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Indian Pond Heron, Common Sandpiper, Common Kingfisher, Greater Coucal, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Common Iora, Cinnamon Bittern and rare wild bird species (which come under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972). Therefore, the area should be protected and declared as a community reserve. In the wake of the inspection report, PMC officials held a meeting with forest department officials after which officials from both government agencies carried out a joint visit on Thursday.

Shailja Deshpande, a citizen, said, “The major issue we raised is about the sewage pipeline that is going to be laid along the river bank under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Project. For this, some trees are expected to be felled. Also, machinery will be used that may cause destruction of the grove. The grove has an ecosystem comprising grassland, wetland and hundreds of old, heritage trees. Many birds frequent the grove and their nesting sites can be seen. We demanded that the area be protected and that officials come up with an alternative to the pipeline.”

Manoj Barbole, range forest officer of the Pune forest department, said, “The department has given its recommendations and PMC officials have assured that no harmful activities will be conducted in the said area.” Regarding his recommendation that the area be declared a community reserve, Barbole said, “As of now, we have not initiated any action for the same.”

Interacting with citizens, PMC official Mukund Shinde said, “We will consider the demand for an alternative to the pipeline to avoid possible damage to the sacred grove.” Shinde asked citizens to submit their suggestions on the project.