Nagpur: In a sharp warning to the civic administration, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), restraining it from cutting “even a single tree” in the proposed Orange City Street project area until a comprehensive tree census is completed and submitted before the court.
The division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode made it clear that while the judiciary is not against development, it will not allow environmental norms to be bulldozed in the name of urban beautification. The court categorically cautioned that tree felling “must not exceed the permission granted”, signalling zero tolerance for arbitrary action.
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The oral directive was issued during the hearing of a suo motu PIL triggered by a letter from Khamla resident and advocate Dnyandeep Bhongade, who alleged large-scale cutting of mature trees in the project zone, earlier known as the London Street project and now rebranded as Orange City Street.
Facing tough questions, the NMC informed the bench that it had appointed a private agency, Terecon, to conduct a tree census and assured the court that the exercise would be completed within 20 days. Recording this submission, the bench firmly ordered that no tree shall be felled until the census report is placed on record. The matter has been posted for further hearing after four weeks.
Rahul Dhande appeared as amicus curiae, while Gemini Kasat represented the municipal corporation.
‘Lungs of the city under attack’
Bhongade alleged that several fully grown trees were already chopped near Khamla Bazaar, an area that once housed the old mutton market and is now witnessing rapid commercial transformation, including the construction of a large mall.
Describing trees as the “lungs of this city,” Bhongade warned that reckless deforestation would destabilize soil, weaken groundwater retention, and shrink ambient oxygen levels. He also flagged the ecological linkage between the project site and Sonegaon Lake, located barely 1.5 km away. According to him, the surrounding green cover plays a crucial role in sustaining the lake’s water levels and overall microclimate.
“We are ready for development, but what is the cost of it?” Bhongade argued before the court. “Malls and showrooms cannot give us fresh oxygen, fresh air, or the sound of birds. These trees provide all this free of cost.”
Development vs. Environment
The court had earlier directed authorities to submit a detailed account specifying the total number of trees in the project area and how many were proposed to be cut — a directive that now carries sharper urgency.
The High Court’s stern intervention has drawn a clear line: Development cannot come at the reckless expense of Nagpur’s green cover. With judicial scrutiny tightening, the Orange City Street project now stands under the environmental scanner, and the civic body will have to justify every axe raised against the city’s vanishing trees.
