Pune's environmentalists oppose government move to allow construction on hills

Pune : At a meeting with party workers in Pune, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan announced that the government will now allow 4 per cent construction on hill tops and hill slopes. Said Chavan, "With regard to the land developments in Pune, I have spoken to many people regarding the biodiversity parks, got many views and opinions and I told the government that I demand 4 per cent construction on hill tops and hill slopes.''

This idea was not a new one. This decision has angered local residents, who took to the streets in large numbers last year when the idea was first suggested. The order they fear will negatively impact Pune's diminishing green cover. Under the Pune Development Plan the government was to buy private hills and green zones and develop bio-diversity parks. But now the party's U-turn has shocked the citizens. Citizens say Pune has already become a concrete jungle with just very few green spaces left.

Environmentalists add if it goes ahead, the 4 per cent construction will in fact amount to damaging a hill by nearly 40 per cent if one takes into account the roads and other support structures around it. Says Vandana Chavan a local environmentalist, ''It's like raping the hills of the city. We are not going to allow this. What are we doing with our environment? What are we going to leave for our children.''

However these passionate arguments so far seem to have left the decision makers unmoved. But if the government continues with its plans of construction it may find that these protests may gain in momentum.

Advertisement