Replanted trees fail to take root

Civic body replants 3,435 trees, but almost 1,522 of them die owing to lack of proper care

The efforts of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to replant trees have borne little fruit. Of the 3,435 trees replanted in 2008, only 1,913 trees have survived. According to a survey, 1,522 have died.

Umesh Ramlal Naik, a Right To Information (RTI) activist from Guruwar Peth, has sought information from the PMC Garden Department and found out that the civic body spent Rs 3,000 for replanting each tree. "The PMC had invested over Rs 1 crore and has suffered a loss of Rs 45.66 lakh," he said.

Tree lovers Omkar Vahikar and Rajesh Kamble had replanted a peepal tree opposite the Poona hospital two months ago, which was found dead. "All our efforts have gone waste," rued Kamble.

PMC should take care of the thin sub-roots of the trees while replanting it at another place. Trees need time to adjust to a new environment and special care should be taken on a day-to-day basis," he said.

Vinod Jain, a social activist, said: "From May 2009 to June 2010 the high court gave permission to 51 people to cut trees on the condition that for each one that is cut, three more are planted. Apart from that, the trees that are should also be replanted. Only two persons have followed the directive. Why doesn't the PMC have a system to monitor and take action against the remaining 49 people, who have violated the HC order?"