Forest Department Clears 4 Hectares on Vetal Tekdi for Plantation Project in Pune

Pune, 26th May 2026: Environmental activist Dr. Sushma Date has raised concerns over the ongoing removal of Glyricidia plantations near the parking area of Vetal Tekdi, clarifying that the work is part of a state government-backed forest restoration initiative being implemented by the Forest Department.

In a social media post, Dr. Date said the large-scale cutting of trees over the past week had triggered panic among residents and environmentalists, prompting her to explain the purpose behind the exercise.

According to her, around two hectares of forest land near the Vetal Tekdi parking area have been cleared by the Forest Department. An additional two hectares behind the ARAI premises on the same hill have also reportedly been cleared.

She stated that the action is being carried out under a state government directive to remove Glyricidia, an invasive exotic species planted across Pune’s hills in the 1990s. The species was introduced as a monoculture plantation but is now being removed in phases as it is allegedly preventing the growth of native vegetation.

Dr. Date said the Forest Department plans to replace the removed plantations with dense Miyawaki forests comprising around 30,000 saplings per hectare.

However, she expressed reservations over the use of the Miyawaki method on Pune’s hill ecosystems. According to her, groups associated with Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti (VTBKS) have repeatedly urged the Forest Department to reconsider the approach, arguing that the water-intensive Miyawaki technique is unsuitable for the dry deciduous scrub forest and grassland ecosystem native to Pune’s tekdis.

She claimed that despite several meetings and appeals, the Forest Department informed activists that it was required to follow state government directives regarding the plantation method.

Dr. Date also shared that activists were able to secure permission to undertake a separate ecological restoration project on one hectare of the cleared land near the parking lot.

The restoration project will reportedly be carried out under the guidance of environmental expert Ketaki Ghate of Oikos and Ecological Society, who has worked on ecosystem restoration projects across India for over two decades.

According to Dr. Date, the proposed restoration work will involve fencing the area using natural materials and planting a mix of native canopy trees, shrubs and herbs suited to the tekdi ecosystem. The aim, she said, is to gradually restore the hill’s lost biodiversity through a scientifically planned ecological process.

She added that the initiative is also intended to demonstrate an alternative restoration model and encourage policymakers to adopt ecosystem-specific methods instead of relying solely on dense plantation drives.

“Plantation should not be about showcasing mere numbers but about restoring lost ecosystems,” Dr. Date stated in her post.