Pune: John Deere Faces Action After Second Inquiry Confirms Illegal Tree Cutting in Wagholi
Pune, 10th January 2025: A second inquiry conducted by a senior forest official has confirmed that illegal tree cutting occurred on the Wagholi premises of John Deere, a global tractor manufacturing and agricultural services company. The inquiry follows objections raised by the company against the findings of the first report, filed by a range forest officer (RFO) from Shirur.
Amol Satpute, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Junnar Division, stated, “We will take further action based on the company’s explanation. The matter is under consideration, and we will decide on the appropriate steps in due course.”
The second inspection, which took place in December 2024, has been submitted to the Deputy Conservator of Forest, Junnar Division. The forest department will now assess the situation and consider further action against the multinational corporation (MNC).
In September 2024, the forest department had issued a show-cause notice to John Deere for violating tree translocation norms. The company was found to have illegally cut down 12 neem trees and two fig trees on its premises in Sanaswadi. This came after an initial inspection in August 2024, triggered by a complaint, which revealed that several neem trees had been buried, leading to the issuance of the notice.
In June 2023, John Deere had received permission from the forest department to cut 510 trees and translocate 236 trees. However, the department’s inspection uncovered discrepancies, prompting the company to request a reinvestigation. This led to the second inquiry in December 2024.
