The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has introduced an online payment facility for tree trimming and green-waste collection in private housing societies and apartment complexes, while beginning the process of reclaiming two plots allotted to UGVCL after the electricity utility failed to pay the prescribed charges or begin work, according to a report by Divya Bhaskar – Ahmedabad.
The online facility is part of a policy being implemented for the first time by the civic body for removing or trimming trees and branches located within private societies and flats. Residents will be able to apply online and pay the applicable charges without visiting municipal offices.
Standing Committee chairman Kamlesh Patel said the online charge-collection module was being started on an immediate basis to prevent inconvenience to citizens, reduce time spent on applications and speed up the work. The report did not specify the exact fee structure, the launch date of the module or the portal through which applications will be submitted.
The policy also covers green-waste collection generated during tree-trimming work. Its introduction places the administrative responsibility for such requests within a formal application and payment process, rather than leaving individual societies to arrange the work without a municipal service framework.
The Standing Committee also issued instructions relating to trees planted near advertising hoardings. The decision followed instances in which branches near hoardings reportedly grew large and obstructed advertisements, after which advertising agencies were found to have undertaken trimming themselves.
Under the instruction, new trees planted near new hoardings should either be shorter varieties or be located at a distance from the structures. The stated objective is to reduce situations in which trees are later considered an obstruction and have to be cut. The report said the instruction was issued to ensure that new plantation does not take place close to hoardings or that shorter trees are planted in such locations.
The committee also decided to begin action to take back two plots in Motera and Ognaj that had been allotted to the Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Limited, or UGVCL, on a 99-year lease. The plots had been approved in 2023 for the construction of sub-division offices.
According to the report, UGVCL has not paid the prescribed amount for the land despite repeated notices from the AMC. No work has reportedly been undertaken on the plots either. On that basis, the committee decided to initiate the process of returning both plots to the municipal corporation.
The committee directed the AMC Estate Department to provide details of other plots that were allotted but for which payments were not deposited or the permitted time limit had expired. It also instructed the department to complete cancellation-related action within the prescribed period and according to applicable rules.
The decisions link two separate municipal functions: the delivery of a paid civic service and the monitoring of publicly controlled land allotted for institutional use. The tree-trimming module is intended to make applications faster for residents, while the review of lease plots signals that allotments may be examined when payment and implementation conditions are not met. Further details on the online application system and the final status of the UGVCL plots are expected through subsequent municipal action.
