The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has introduced an online payment facility for tree trimming and green-waste collection in private societies and residential flats, while deciding to begin the process of taking back two plots allotted to UGVCL at Motera and Ognaj after the utility failed to pay the prescribed charges or begin work, according to Divya Bhaskar.
The tree-trimming policy covers trees and branches located within private societies and flat complexes. Residents will be able to apply online and pay the applicable charge through the new system. The move is intended to reduce the need for in-person visits and speed up requests for trimming and green-waste collection.
Standing committee chairman Kamlesh Patel said the online charge-collection module had been ordered to start immediately so that residents would not face inconvenience, their time would be saved and the municipal work could be completed faster. The report did not specify the charge applicable to different types of requests or the expected response time after an application is submitted.
The municipal committee also issued instructions concerning tree planting near new advertising hoardings. According to the report, branches near hoardings sometimes grow large enough to obstruct advertisements, after which advertising agencies have been found trimming trees themselves. To prevent such situations, the committee directed that trees planted near new hoardings should either be kept at a lower height or planted at a distance from the structures.
The instruction places tree management within the approval and planning process for new hoardings. It also reflects a recurring conflict between advertising visibility and the maintenance of urban greenery. The report did not state whether the new direction will apply to existing hoardings or set out a separate monitoring mechanism for agencies that trim trees without municipal approval.
The standing committee further decided to initiate action to recover two plots at Motera and Ognaj that had been allotted to the Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Limited for 99 years. A 2023 standing committee resolution had approved the lease of the plots for sub-division offices. However, UGVCL has not paid the prescribed land charges and has not started work on either site, the report said.
The AMC had previously issued several notices to the utility, but the required payment was reportedly still pending. The committee therefore decided to begin the process of returning both plots to the corporation. The action remains a municipal decision to initiate recovery proceedings; the report did not provide details of a final cancellation order or any response from UGVCL.
The committee has also directed the estate department to prepare a list of other plots that were allotted but for which money was not deposited or the permitted time limit had expired. That information is to be presented at the next committee meeting, along with action required under the applicable rules to cancel such allotments within the prescribed timeframe.
