Pune Citizens Buy 20,000 Saplings, But PMC Employees Fail to Report a Single Tree
Pune, 25th June 2026: The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) much-publicised “Green Pune, Prosperous Pune” campaign appears to have hit an early roadblock, with not a single civic officer or employee reporting the plantation of a tree despite a mandatory directive issued by the administration.
Launched on June 5, World Environment Day, the campaign was introduced amid growing concerns over rising temperatures, shrinking green cover, and the need to improve Pune’s environmental sustainability. Under the initiative, every PMC officer and employee was required to plant at least one native tree and take responsibility for its maintenance and survival for the next two years.
To ensure accountability, employees were instructed to submit details of the plantation, including the location, species of the tree, and photographs, to the Tree Authority. However, weeks after the launch of the campaign, the civic body has not received a single report from any department, suggesting that the initiative has seen little or no implementation on the ground.
The lack of response has raised questions about the PMC’s commitment to enhancing the city’s green cover. Ironically, while the civic administration has often faced criticism over large-scale tree felling for infrastructure and development projects, its own plantation drive appears to have failed to generate participation within the organisation.
In contrast, Pune residents have responded positively to the civic body’s call for public participation. As part of the campaign, the Garden Department made five- to six-year-old native saplings available at a subsidised rate of ₹5 each. The initiative has received an encouraging response, with nearly 20,000 saplings sold so far.
The contrast between public participation and administrative inaction has drawn criticism from environmentalists, who argue that the civic body must lead by example if it expects citizens to contribute to environmental conservation.
Garden Department Head Ashok Ghorpade said all department heads, officers, and employees had been directed to undertake tree plantation in accordance with the Municipal Commissioner’s orders. He confirmed that reports had been sought from all departments, but none had been received so far.
“Fresh reminders will be issued, and information will once again be sought from all departments,” Ghorpade said.
The episode has once again highlighted the gap between policy announcements and implementation, raising concerns over whether PMC’s green initiatives are translating into meaningful action on the ground.
