The Pune bench of the National Green Tribunal on Tuesday halted the felling of trees in Nashik for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela until April 28, The Times of India reported.

The tribunal granted the interim stay on a petition by city-based environmental activist Manish Baviskar, who challenged the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s ongoing tree-cutting linked to development works for the religious gathering.

Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and judicial member Sujit Kumar Bajpayee directed the authorities to refrain from cutting any trees in the city until the next hearing.

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Advocate Shriram Pingle, representing the petitioner, told the newspaper that the tribunal ordered an interim stay after being informed of large-scale cutting by the civic body, including in areas such as Gangapur Road.

Baviskar presented live visuals of trees being cut via video call, prompting the tribunal to take up the matter urgently.

The commissioner of the civic body, Manisha Khatri, said the authority would comply with the tribunal’s instructions once it receives the order, The Times of India reported.

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Baviskar’s petition challenged 35 public notices issued by the Nashik Municipal Corporation between November 12 and March 10.

The petition alleged that many notices lacked sufficient data and did not state the number of trees to be cut. While officials cited around 1,800 trees for felling, Baviskar alleged the actual figure could exceed 5,000 and that about 1,500 trees had already been cut without following due legal procedures or previous orders of the Bombay High Court.

The plea also disputed claims of compensatory afforestation, noting that no trees had been planted or preserved on the ground, according to The Times of India.

Baviskar further highlighted that, despite municipal elections being over, the statutory tree authority had not been constituted and objections from citizens had been ignored or dismissed without reasoned orders.