No tree felling for Munde memorial: AMC to CIDCO

The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has written to the state-run CIDCO to prepare a fresh plan for late BJP leader Gopinath Munde's memorial, ensuring that no trees would be required to be cut.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had assured that no trees would be cut for the proposed memorial of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in the city after a row started over the issue.

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) had asked permission for felling 110 trees for constructing the Munde memorial in November.

The site is located in a densely populated area but enjoys thick tree cover. According to local environmentalists, the wooded patch is home to four species of snakes, 15 types of butterflies and some 25 types of birds.

Deputy Commissioner Sumit More told PTI that he wrote a letter to the Executive Engineer of CIDCO on Monday, seeking a new plan which will avoid tree felling.

"Municipal Commissioner Aastik Kumar Pandey looked into the issue, after which we sent CIDCO a letter, saying the existing trees at the site must be saved," he said.