By : Sabatini Chatterjee
On June 10, 2021 an amendment to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975 was brought in motion by the Cabinet of Maharashtra led by the CM Uddhav Thackeray. This amendment would most likely be brought through an ordinance passed the Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
The proposed amendment would include the term “Heritage Trees”. The term “Heritage Trees” under this amendment would be defined as a tree with an estimated age of 50 years or more.This tree may belong to specific species, which will be notified from time to time. Dendrochronology/Tree-Ring Dating would be applied to date the Trees. In due course, the specified heritage tree will get distinct protection through preservation and conservation.
Significantly, the tree’s age will govern the number of trees to be planted as part of the compensatory plantation i.e., anyone from Govt/Pvt.Agencies cutting a heritage tree will need to plant trees in the same numbers as the cut tree’s age.For example: if a 52-year-old tree is to be cut, then the party cutting the tree will have to plant 52 trees in compensation, with each compensatory tree at least 6 to 8 feet in height at the time of planting. The organization planting the compensation trees will also have to guarantee the survival of the plantation for 7-years and geo-tagging the trees for future identification.
As a part of the amendment, the Cabinet of Maharashtra also approved the formation of the Maharashtra Tree Authority. The amendments also introduced proposal for the creation of the Maharashtra State Tree Authority and also tree authority in local civic bodies and councils. The Tree Authority and its subsidiaries will be tasked with the duty of increasing the tree cover in urban areas and defending the existing ones. And, the experts familiar with protection/preservation of trees shall be a part of the local tree authority, as per the proposal. Thus, their knowledge and expertise will form the basis of decisions taken up by the authority thereby establishing a participatory model through localized problem-solving efforts. The author works as a Research Assistant at the Cultural Research Institute, Kolkata under Backward Class Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal.