"It may be limited to the status of trees along the Ghorpadi-Mundhwa Road, but the report is an example of what is happening everywhere in the city. Here, the truth is in the open," said activist Vinod Jain.

He had filed a petition with the tribunal alleging that due process was not followed before the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) cut trees to widen the road. The report noted that 11 trees were said to have been pruned, but they have been "substantially denuded of main branches and have been cut up to the trunk."

Jain said it was a common tactic followed by people. "It may be more difficult to get permission to cut the tree, so they obtain one to prune the branches. They then cut off all the branches, leaving behind the stump. This is a case when these authorities themselves are involved," Jain said.

Prepared by Girish Shinde, the report systematically records details such as height, girth and approximate age of 412 alive trees in the area. It also records places where trees have been cut down or uprooted.

In the Wadhwan area in Mundhwa, there were 10 banyan trees that were more than 100 years old. Five have been completely uprooted. The remaining five have all their branches that were more than 10 feet high, cut off, the report observed.

It also carries alarming details about planting of new saplings. It noted that there were claims that 15 trees were planted opposite Ganga Orchid on the left of the road, but these were "not seen" and probably were "destroyed."

Shinde consulted two experts Vinaya Ghate, senior scientist, at the Agharkar Research Institute and botanist Prabha Bhogaonkar for a separate survey to assess the feasibility of transplanting trees in the area.

The report concludes that the survival rate of trees transplanted by the civic body is low. Comparing the manner in which transplanting is carried out in other countries, it notes that "such machinery is not available in India."

"We now demand that the 412 trees along the road not be touched. We want the PMC to immediately plant saplings in a 1:3 ratio for the 18 trees it has cut. Furthermore, it should plant three saplings for every tree destroyed by underhand means," Jain added.

Times View

The report by the National Green Tribunal-appointed tree commissioner has confirmed the worst fears city environmentalists have about tree cutting. Rapid development of Pune and burgeoning constructions have already shrunk spaces where trees can be planted to increase green cover. Moreover, there is an alarming increase in the number of vehicles on the roads and the resultant air pollution. In such a situation utmost care has to be taken to preserve, protect and nurture trees. The report serves as a warning and a lesson for the civic authorities. Steps must be initiated to prevent callous and unscientific ways of pruning and hacking down of full-grown trees under the garb of trimming them.