This story is from July 28, 2016

Activists remove paver blocks at civic body HQs

A group of activists removed paver blocks around trees on the premises of Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the Nashik Municipal Corporation, on Wednesday.
Activists remove paver blocks at civic body HQs
Nashik: A group of activists removed paver blocks around trees on the premises of Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the Nashik Municipal Corporation, on Wednesday.
The activists had filed a case in the district court against government offices for choking trees with concrete and tar. Six months ago, the court had directed the government departments to remove tar, cement and paver blocks around trees.
Since the government department is yet to comply with the orders, the activists took up the task upon themselves - the first being at the district collector's office on July 13.
The court had passed the order on November 2015. The green activists had submitted a letter to the district collector early July in this regard but since nothing was done about it, the activists took up the task of freeing trees in the city that have been choked with tar, concrete or paver blocks and said that they would continue to do so.
The activists had filed a suit in the district court in 2013 against government officials for being responsible for choking trees during road construction or expansion. The civil suit was filed by city-based tree activists Nitin Ruikar, Jagbir Singh, Nishikant Pagare and Swapnil Ghia against the municipal commissioner and the district collector in July 2013 for "irresponsible construction of roads leading to the suffocation and ultimately death or collapse of trees".
The district court had directed the NMC to leave space between new roads to be constructed and the trees to prevent them from choking and consequently dying. The court had also directed the officials to remove the tar and paver blocks around the trees on existing roads. The activists met the district collector seeking his intervention since this was not being followed by the NMC.
"Because of these roads trees have no place to spread their roots and rainwater cannot seep into the roots of the trees. A two-feet space has to be left between the tree trunk and the road so that the trees can breathe. Immediate relief should be given to the trees by removing the asphalt or paver blocks and leaving the gap. We citizens pay all the taxes imposed by the corporation and we have the right to clean and pollution-free environment," said Deepti Pande, a biologist.Additional municipal commissioner Anil Chavan said, "I will talk to the city public works department and ask them to do the needful."
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