Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has pulled up the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) over delays in removing concrete encasements around trees, directing it to ensure complete compliance before the next hearing.During proceedings on Tuesday, the bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode was informed that concrete has been removed from 2,569 of the 3,691 affected trees. The court, however, made it clear that partial compliance would not suffice, and orally directed the NMC to submit confirmation at the next hearing that all trees have been freed from concrete, noting that adequate time had already been granted.The directions came during a joint hearing of two public interest litigations—one initiated suo motu by the court in 2018, and another filed by environmental expert Sharad Patil and others. The petitions seek to curb large-scale tree felling in the name of development and to ensure the removal of concrete that restricts natural growth.Records placed before the court show that 3,360 of the affected trees fall under the NMC’s jurisdiction. In an earlier hearing, the bench had clarified that the responsibility for removing concrete rests with the NMC, irrespective of which authority controls the roads. It also stated that the respective authorities would be required to reimburse the civic body for the expenses incurred.On Tuesday, the NMC submitted a progress report detailing the work completed so far. Taking note of this, the court directed the corporation to expedite the removal of concrete from the remaining trees and listed the matter for further hearing in the second week of June.Amicus curiae Radhika Bajaj, NS Rao represented the state govt, while Jemini Kasat represented the NMC.
