Aurangabad: Youth activists and environmentalists will hold a mourning meet on Tuesday morning at Kanchanwadi for a large banyan tree about 80 years old that was felled at Kanchanwadi during construction work a few days ago. The meeting is also a mark of protest against the mass felling of trees by government authorities for road and other civil construction.Incidentally, on September 8, Public Works Department (PWD), which is undertaking construction at the site, cut the tree without the necessary permission from the tree authority. The move attracted the ire of nature lovers and environmentalists. Following the outrage, the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) issued a show cause notice to PWD.However, environmental activists have asked for stringent action against those responsible for felling this large, old, healthy banyan.NGOs Srushti Sanwardhan Sanstha, We for Environment (WE), Salim Ali Sarovar Conservation Committee, Nisarg Mitra Mandal, Prayas Youth Foundation, Jansayhog Sevabhavi Samajik Sanstha and other nature lovers will take part in the condolence meeting scheduled opposite Shanti Nursing Home at Kanchanwadi at 7.45 am. All nature lovers are invited to attend.The programme will include condolences for the tree and the drafting of a memorandum demanding strict action against those who felled the tree bypassing the set norms. Suggestions will be collected from those attending to develop a mechanism to prevent such action in future. Banyan saplings will be planted in the area.Environmentalists said cutting of trees had become a common phenomenon in Marathawada, and people had begun to be tolerant of such unlawful activities. In wake of the low green cover, the region needs strong environment conservation, and there was need for unity among those seeking to prevent the felling of trees. The group will discuss how to protect the green cover and plan future action for the environment.

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