Pune Riverfront Development Project: Petitioners urge public to stay alert against tree felling after Bombay HC setback

Indian Express

15-07-2025

Days after the Bombay High Court refused to restrain the Tree Authority from felling and replanting trees for the Riverfront Development Project on the Mula-Mutha river, the petitioners have urged the people of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to 'stay vigilant' against any further tree felling or transplantation from the Sangamwadi bridge to the Mundhwa bridge.
Pune-based Shalvi Pawar, Tanmayi S, and others have made the call after the court granted liberty to the petitioners to raise objections if any more proposals are made to the Tree Authority for more unlawful tree-cutting under the Riverfront Development Project (RFD).
The PIL, which had been filed three-and-a-half months ago, was disposed of after the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) told the court that six separate permissions had been granted for cutting 1,302 trees and transplanting 1,843 trees along the 9-km stretch of the Mula-Mutha river. Of these, 997 trees had already been cut and 859 trees transplanted, and 'further work is in progress'.
As part of the RFD project, 11,000 trees of the 22,150 in the project area will be felled and 11,150 trees will be transplanted. The project will also include the planting of 30,000 trees of local varieties in the area.
PMC stated that alongside cutting or transportation of trees, the execution of the project work of the RFD was also going on at the site. According to the court order, 'The learned counsel for the PMC submits that under the project, the Corporation has planted 5,100 trees up to April 2025 and, from April 27, 2025 to 11 July 2025, 2,369 trees were planted and that they shall ensure that the aforesaid trees are maintained properly'.
Pawar, a professional ecological conservationist, says, 'We need every citizen to be very alert and inform us on the social media pages of 'Pune River Revival', a citizen-led movement that works for the rights of Pune rivers and riparian trees. People can directly post on Facebook page and Instagram of 'Pune River Revival' if they spot tree felling anywhere near the river-side'.
The organisation comprises thousands of environmentally sensitive people who work to preserve the natural spaces of Pune.'
The group will reach out to people over social media and direct engagement.
Tanmayi says that she was prompted to file the PIL after visiting RFD sites and being disappointed about the destruction to the riparian zones. 'If the river actually becomes clean, the kind of biodiversity that we can have is beyond imagination. I was born and brought up in Pune. I want to have the relationship that my parents and my grandparents had with the rivers. I want to be able to swim in rivers, that is what drives me,' she says.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the RFD project in March 2022, almost five years after Pune Municipal Corporation prepared its detailed project report (DPR) to beautify the 44-km-long river stretch of Mula and Mutha passing through the city. After overcoming a legal battle posed by environmentalists and citizens' groups, the civic administration has given a major push to its implementation.
Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More