Amid green cover claims, 15,000 trees illegally axed in Ahmedabad over 15 years

Even as claims are made about increasing green cover, around 15,000 trees have been illegally axed in Ahmedabad over the past 15 years, allegedly under the nose of the municipal corporation.

In a recent incident in the Sola Science City area, around 12 fully grown trees nearly 30 years old were cut to improve visibility for advertisements of KICT Computer Classes. The Assistant Municipal Commissioner of the North-West Zone has issued a notice to the class operator, directing them to plant 120 trees in compensation and pay an administrative penalty of ₹3.24 lakh.

According to officials, the classes are being run in a commercial building in the Gota ward. The operator allegedly cut the trees without prior permission. 

Despite the presence of multiple officials from garden department staff to inspectors and senior officers at ward and zone levels the cutting of 12 trees reportedly went unnoticed, raising serious questions about oversight.

Over the past two years, several such cases have surfaced:

In May 2024, two advertising agencies were fined ₹1 crore for illegally cutting 536 trees in western Ahmedabad. One of the agencies reportedly approached the court.

In Chandkheda ward, authorities suspended permissions for a construction site named Zanzar Sky and imposed a ₹2 lakh administrative charge for illegal tree cutting.

In 2025, Shalin Residency in Thaltej-Shilaj was fined ₹81,000 for cutting three trees and was directed to plant 30 new trees and maintain them for five years.

The municipal corporation claims that only 1,645 trees have been transplanted in the last decade, 1,495 in the airport periphery area and 180 in the South Zone highlighting a significant gap between tree loss and restoration efforts.

The figures have raised concerns over environmental negligence and weak enforcement despite ongoing green initiatives.