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File criminal cases against contractors violating NGT norms: Surajya Abhiyan

  • Silent killing of trees through illegal concretisation

  • On World Earth Day 2026, Surajya Abhiyan holds statewide press conferences seeking criminal action over NGT violations

Mumbai – On World Earth Day 2026, Surajya Abhiyan launched a statewide campaign exposing the silent killing of Maharashtra’s urban trees through illegal concretisation. A state-level press conference was held at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, and simultaneous press conferences were organised in Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, and Solapur.

Present at the Mumbai press conference were Shri. Abhishek Murukate (Maharashtra State Coordinator, Surajya Abhiyan), Dr Uday Dhuri (Spokesperson, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti), Advocate Prathamesh Gaikwad, and Advocate Ganesh Koli.  

Memorandums demanding urgent action were submitted to:
• Mayor of Mumbai and Municipal Commissioner
• Chief Minister of Maharashtra
• Environment Minister of Maharashtra
• District Collectors, Commissioners, Chief Officers, and Tree Authorities in Nashik, Nagpur and Jalgaon

The issue 

A statewide survey by Surajya Abhiyan across Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Jalgaon, and the Hubli-Karwar region of Karnataka found trees in a deeply distressed state —  roots choked by concrete poured around them during road and footpath construction.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) mandates a minimum 1-metre unpaved zone around every urban tree. Despite this, contractors routinely pour concrete right up to trunks. Also, nails are hammered into living trees to hold advertisements and banners, further damaging their growth; this too is illegal. 

Surajya Abhiyan raised the question as to why the rules are not followed during the construction of roads and footpaths ? Under the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, damaging trees is a punishable offence; yet why are the names of erring contractors and responsible officials not made public and held accountable? 

From a scientific perspective, concrete around tree roots obstructs groundwater recharge and contributes to rising urban temperatures (Urban Heat Island Effect). The administration is entirely responsible for this, said Surajya Abhiyan. 

The ‘Vruksha Sanjeevani’ question 

On April 1, 2026, BMC launched the ‘Vruksha Sanjeevani’ campaign to remove concrete from around trees.  

Surajya Abhiyan questioned its intent. “Removing concrete around trees should not merely be a one-month event. Why does the need for such a campaign arise in the first place? Isn’t the root cause the blatant violation of NGT orders, where concrete is poured right up to tree trunks during road construction? Instead of running ‘remove concrete’ campaigns, why is criminal action not taken under Section 26 of the NGT Act, 2010 against those responsible for such violations?” questioned Shri. Abhishek Murukate, Maharashtra State Coordinator of Surajya Abhiyan.

The Pune plantation scandal 

Pune Municipal Corporation’s own admission reveals that 17,533 trees planted over the last two years have no official survival data. The PMC has no information on whether these trees are alive, dead, or were ever planted. 

“Whether it is tree conservation or new plantation, the administration is making a mockery of environmental responsibility. The lack of accountability for 17,000 trees is a direct waste of crores of rupees of public money,” stated Shri. Abhishek Murukate.

Key demands of Surajya Abhiyan 

  • Immediate statewide de-concretisation drive should be undertaken as a responsible and continuous process, and not as a temporary measure; the cost of the de-concretisation to be borne by the violating contractor.
  • Trees currently surrounded by concrete must be freed. A mandatory tender condition must be included in all future road and footpath work orders, that no payments shall be cleared for any road or footpath contractor unless a 1-metre unpaved zone is maintained around every tree.
  • Criminal complaints under Section 26 of the NGT Act 2010 against all contractors and officers responsible for illegal concretisation and tree nailing. Names of guilty contractors and officials to be made public.
  • Third-party audit of all tree plantations from the last three years, with actual survival data made public, starting with Pune’s 17,533 unaccounted trees.
  • Adoption of the Delhi Model SOP for urban tree protection (as directed by the Delhi High Court) as a mandatory standard across Maharashtra.

If the administration fails to act within 7 working days, Surajya Abhiyan will file a criminal complaint under Section 26 of the NGT Act 2010, and initiate contempt proceedings before the Hon’ble National Green Tribunal.

Surajya Abhiyan: ‘Vruksha Sanjeevani’ a mere photo event; FIRs must be filed against errant contractors

March 31, 2026

Representational image

Mumbai – While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced the ‘Vruksha Sanjeevani’ campaign from 1 April 2026 to protect the city’s 29.75 lakh trees, Surajya Abhiyan has termed the initiative a “superficial treatment” and a mere “photo event”.

The organisation asserts that de-choking trees and removing nails are not voluntary acts of service, but mandatory legal obligations under the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The widespread practice of hammering thousands of nails into trees for advertisements, and pouring concrete up to their trunks, thereby choking them and obstructing their natural growth constitutes a direct violation of the Maharashtra Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, as well as specific NGT orders. 

Advertisements nailed onto trees, damaging their natural growth

Surajya Abhiyan has demanded that, instead of limiting the initiative to awareness programmes, the administration must register First Information Reports (FIRs) and initiate strict penal action against those responsible. In this regard, formal memorandums have been submitted to the Mayor and Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai, following similar representations already made in Nagpur, Jalgaon and Satara. 

Memorandum submitted to the Mayor of Mumbai and the Deputy Municipal Commissioner

Highlighting the severity of the issue, Surajya Abhiyan pointed out that the environmental situation across the state is alarming. In Mumbai alone, 17.43 kg of nails and 1,460 illegal advertisement boards were removed from trees over the past year. Despite High Court directives mandating a one-metre unpaved (raw earth) area around every tree, thousands continue to remain encased in concrete during road development and metro works. 

Tree encased in concrete up to the trunk

“It is a matter of grave concern that despite such large-scale destruction of green cover, the administration has failed to file cases against any advertiser or contractor,” said Shri. Abhishek Murukate, Maharashtra State Coordinator of Surajya Abhiyan. He further stated that the weakening of tree roots due to lack of oxygen is the primary reason for trees falling during the monsoon, a situation directly attributable to administrative negligence. 

Outlining its demands, Surajya Abhiyan stated that the concrete surrounding trees must be removed at the cost of the guilty contractors under the ‘polluter pays’ principle. Such contractors should not merely be issued notices but must be immediately blacklisted from future projects. Additionally, the requirement of maintaining a one-metre unpaved space around trees must be made mandatory in all government tenders, and violations should result in withholding of contractor payments.

The organisation further demanded that the state government immediately issue orders to implement the ‘Vruksha Sanjeevani’ campaign effectively across Maharashtra, rather than restricting it to a single city. The administration must strictly enforce the law instead of treating the campaign as a one-day event. A permanent legal mechanism must be established to ensure that trees across the state can breathe freely.

“Until a genuine fear of the law is instilled among rule-violating commercial establishments and contractors, our tree wealth will never truly be safe,” said Shri. Abhishek Murukate, Coordinator of Surajya Abhiyan.

Read more on Hindu Janajagruti SamitiPress ReleaseSurajya Abhiyan

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