Pune: NGT Orders PMC to Submit Full Report on Tree-Cutting Permissions Since 2022
Pune, 11th December 2025: The Western Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to submit a detailed account of every tree-cutting permission granted and the compensatory plantation carried out across city projects since 2022. The directive comes as part of an ongoing petition questioning the transparency and compliance of the civic body’s tree-related clearances.
The PMC had originally been given three months to file the report but sought an extension, citing the large volume of information spread across multiple departments and ward offices. The tribunal has now allowed an additional two weeks, and the matter will be taken up again on February 11. The civic body has undertaken multiple infrastructure works in recent years that required tree felling across several locations.
The case was initiated through a petition filed in June by Pune-based environmental activist Krunal Gharre. During a hearing in September, the NGT instructed the PMC to submit a consolidated report within three months. That deadline expired in December, prompting the civic body to request more time during the hearing on December 3.
In its latest order issued on December 8 and uploaded on December 9, the tribunal also asked the PMC to include all tree-cutting approvals granted from December until the next hearing, ensuring that no new permissions escape scrutiny.
Gharre told reporters that he had been seeking this information for nearly a year. He had first filed a Right to Information (RTI) application in January 2024 requesting details on tree-cutting permissions and compensatory plantation. “The reply said the data wasn’t available,” he said, adding that after his first appeal, he was told to approach individual ward offices for the records. “We compiled whatever information we received and submitted it along with our petition. It remains to be seen what the PMC puts on record now.”
The tribunal’s directive is expected to bring clarity on the extent of tree loss and the status of compensatory plantation across the city’s infrastructure projects.
