Pune, 13th August 2026: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Western Zone Bench, Pune, has directed the Maharashtra Government to file an affidavit detailing the step-by-step procedure followed to exclude a portion of the Ganeshkhind Botanical Garden from the notified Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS).
The order was passed during the hearing on August 11, 2026, after allegations that part of the site was illegally denotified on June 12, 2025.
The tribunal has extended its stay on tree-felling within the BHS, keeping the protection in place until the next hearing scheduled for September 17, 2026. The case also challenges a tree-felling permission granted on May 19, 2026, for construction-related activities inside the protected area.
The applicants have contended that objectors to the tree-felling permission were not given a proper hearing. They cited Section 8(3)(a) of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, which mandates that objections must be heard within two weeks of submission.
The matter also involves a proposed sewage treatment plant (STP) within the Biodiversity Heritage Site. The applicants have demanded that the project be relocated outside the protected zone, stating that alternative land is available for the facility.
They have referred to a National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) recommendation dated August 30, 2024, which empowers governments to revise or restrict projects that threaten notified heritage sites. They also argue that inclusion of the STP in Pune’s Development Plan 2017 should not override environmental safeguards.
The Ganeshkhind Botanical Garden, declared a Biodiversity Heritage Site in 2020, houses over 4,000 trees, including rare and threatened species. Applicants have raised concerns over proposed felling of a rare jackfruit tree, a century-old mango tree, and potential damage to the 225-year-old Peshwai Mango.
The applicants have warned that an STP within the site could lead to odour, noise pollution, and sewage leakage, affecting the area’s biodiversity. The NGT has maintained its interim protection order, and the matter will next be heard on September 17, 2026.