Pune: Candidates from the Kothrud and Shivajinagar assembly constituencies have begun to focus on ecological issues in the city as campaigning enters the last leg ahead of the Nov 20 polls but environmentalists say it is too little, too late. MVA's Kothrud candidate Chandrakant Mokate promised to safeguard the hills from projects such as the Bal-Bharati Paud Phata (BBPP) Road. "It has always been the Sena's motto to safeguard environment.
We are striving to protect the hills, which provide oxygen to the city. We do not advocate for projects that harm the hills," Mokate told TOI. Datta Bairat, Shivajinagar's Congress candidate, also promised to oppose BBPP road and the High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) projects, pledging his support to the Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti in his manifesto.
Mokate's opponent in Kothrud, BJP's Chandrakant Patil visited ARAI hills last week and spoke about his efforts to halt the projects during his tenure as the guardian minister. He also claimed he had passed a resolution to plant 65,000 trees in the state for his 65th birthday. "During my tenure as the guardian minister of Pune district, the work of BBPP road was suspended," he said, and added that the issue of the hills was being raked up now in the background of the election to create confusion.
"As many as 6,500 trees are being planted on Mhatoba hill in Kothrud to conserve it," Patil said. Environmentalists, however, said the situation on the ground was different. "In reality, work c.