Green Cover Pune: PMC Spends Rs 108 Crore on Gardens in Five Years, Yet Green Cover Remains at Just 10%

Pune, 21st August 2026: Pune’s green cover remains a growing concern despite the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) spending more than ₹108 crore on the maintenance and development of gardens over the past five years. According to information provided by the civic administration, only 25.10 sq km of the city’s 249 sq km old municipal limits is currently covered by trees, accounting for just around 10% of the area.

The figures were revealed in the PMC’s response to a question raised by Congress group leader Adv. Chandusheth Kadam for the August general body meeting.

The low percentage of green cover has raised concerns amid Pune’s rapid urbanisation, increasing construction activity, road expansion and widespread concretisation.

The PMC Garden Department has developed 215 gardens across the city, covering a total area of approximately 24.53 lakh sq m.

The civic body spent:

– 2021-22: ₹14.38 crore
– 2022-23: ₹32.22 crore
– 2023-24: ₹16.54 crore
– 2024-25: ₹20.32 crore
– 2025-26: ₹24.99 crore

The total expenditure over five years stood at approximately ₹108.46 crore.

However, questions are now being raised about how much this expenditure has actually contributed to increasing Pune’s overall green cover.

Environmental concerns are not limited to the number of municipal gardens. Experts and citizens have stressed the need to protect open spaces, hills, land reserved for gardens, roadside green belts and naturally tree-covered areas.

With increasing construction and concretisation, protecting existing trees and natural green areas is considered equally important for maintaining Pune’s ecological balance.

Another concern highlighted by the civic administration’s response is the lack of consolidated data on tree cutting and compensatory plantation over the past decade.

The PMC reportedly does not have complete information on how many trees were granted permission to be cut, how many were actually removed, how many replacement trees were planted and how many of those trees survived.

The administration stated that such information is available with the respective regional offices and has sought the data from them.

1,066 trees planted against 266 permissions in Sinhagad Road area

The available information from the Sinhagad Road regional office shows that permission was granted for the removal of 266 trees, against which 1,066 new trees were planted.

However, the PMC’s response does not provide details on how many of these replacement trees survived, whether they received regular maintenance or whether they have developed sufficiently.

The latest figures have raised questions over whether Pune’s expenditure on gardens and compensatory plantation is translating into a measurable increase in the city’s overall green cover. With the city continuing to expand rapidly, stronger monitoring of tree plantations and protection of existing green spaces may be crucial to improving Pune’s environmental health.