Tree lovers say garden superintendent suspended after rape accusation should also be punished for posing as tree officer

Suspended Ghorpade was never tree officer: Activists

Tree lovers say garden superintendent suspended after rape accusation should also be punished for posing as tree officer
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Tree lovers in the city have accused PMC's suspended garden superintendent Ashok Ghorpade of working as a tree officer despite not being one. Ghorpade's actions are a reminder of the fact that the PMC still does not have a tree officer.

Tree lovers in the city who had filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court about a year-and-a-half ago are firm on having a minimum of four tree officers in the city. The PIL was filed by Deepak Vahikar, Vaibhav Gandhi, Juneja Singh and Vinod Jain in 2009 demanding a ban on tree cutting in the city until a formal permission was sought from the HC. There has been a stay on tree cutting in the city since May 6, 2009.

According to Jain, Ghorpade was not tree officer but posed as one. "He issued several notices to the citizens regarding tree cutting which, should be examined by the police. If Ghorpade violated the rule he should be punished," said Jain.

Gandhi reasoned that since PMC has four ward offices in the city, it requires at least four tree officers as well.u00a0 He demanded a strict enforcement of the Tree Act and that they should be planted as per the prescribed standard.

Gandhi demanded that a non-governmental organisation be appointed as per the prescribed norms set by the Social Forestry Department of the state government. "The local species of trees with deep roots should be selected for the road side at every 10 metres," he demanded," said Gandhi.

PMC officials admitted the absence of a tree officer in the city. Bhanudas Mane, Deputy Commissioner (Garden) said, "It is true that Ghorpade was not a tree officer. Any officer belonging to the rank of a deputy commissioner, development engineer and city engineer can qualify as a tree officer. Thought we haven't created a separate post of a tree officer, these officers can work as one."

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