Why Rs 22 cr shouldn't be recovered from Nashik civic body for cutting 22 trees during ban, asks NGT

The National Green Tribunal NGT has issued a show-cause notice to the Nashik civic body asking why Rs 22 crore should not be recovered from it for cutting 22 trees in the city despite a ban on the activity.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a show-cause notice to the Nashik civic body asking why Rs 22 crore should not be recovered from it for cutting 22 trees in the city despite a ban on the activity. The tribunal also extended the tree cutting ban in Nashik till June 19. During a hearing on April 28, applicant Manish Baviskar, an environmentalist, told the NGT that 22 trees were cut in Nashik despite the stay. He demanded a compensation of Rs 22 crore individually from the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) commissioner Manisha Khatri and the civic body's garden superintendent Vivek Bhadane. A team of lawyers represented the NMC before the tribunal during the hearing. The NGT extended the stay on tree cutting in Nashik till June 19. It also made it clear that in emergency situations, action (of cutting trees) can be taken after seeking special permission. Taking serious cognisance of these allegations, the NGT issued a show-cause notice to the NMC, asking why the amount should not be recovered from the civic body. It also issued orders to NMC commissioner, garden superintendent and authorities concerned to make their stand clear within two weeks on the alleged tree cutting. Applicant's lawyer Shriram Pingle said, ''We brought it to the notice of the NGT that trees were cut even after its stay order. We also demanded that Rs 22 crore compensation should be taken individually from the NMC commissioner and garden superintendent. Following it, the NGT issued a show-cause notice to the civic body, asking why the amount should not be recovered from it.''