The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has said that is looking to cut and replace trees across 19 locations of Mumbai to accommodate infrastructure projects. The authorities added that they are awaiting approval from the BMC’s Tree Authority.
The projects planned are for Metro lines as well as civic infrastructure such as bridges and flyovers within Mumbai. The BMC proposes felling of 803 trees while replacing them with an additional 1,158 trees across the 19 designated areas.
The expansion of the railway line at Kurla’s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus will see the felling of 114 trees, whereas 108 trees will be removed for the development of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, though it will be replaced by 279 trees.
Road widening works in Govandi will see the removal of 96 trees while 51 new trees will be added along the Metro 2B line (DN Nagar- Bandra-Mankhurd). Additionally, 35 trees will be cut for the construction of Metro Line 6 which will be replaced by 169 trees. Metro Line 6 connects Mumbai’s outskirts like Lokhandwala, Jogeshwari, Vikhroli, and Kanjurmarg.
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The BMC had issued a public notice on June 9 through regional newspapers asking citizens to send in their complaints or queries pertaining to the proposal via the email sg.gardens@mcgm.gov by June 19. However, not everybody is pleased with the BMC’s proposal for the felling and transplanting of trees, particularly with the issuing of a public notice on newspapers.
“BMC can’t use the lockdown to hide the removal of nearly 2,000 trees. Many people did not receive newspapers during the lockdown period. How will people come to know about the public notice in the newspapers? Two days ago, a friend saw the notice stuck on a tree at Metro 6 site in Versova and hence, we checked,” activist Zoru Bhathena said.
Responding to these allegations, officials from the Civic Garden Department said that since the date has passed already, there will be no separate hearing on the citizens’ requests or concerns. However, a senior official from the department mentioned that the suggestions from the Mumbaikars will be added to the proposal and discussed at the next Tree Authority meeting. However, there’s no word on when the next meeting will be held.
Tree Authority officials haven’t convened since the coronavirus lockdown started, and while a meeting was scheduled to be held on July 7, it didn’t go through as planned due to objections from the opposition BJP over handling of projects.
It’s clear that the citizens need to have more information on what’s happening to the ecosystem around them. Considering the pollution generated by Mumbai on a regular day, trees are among the last bastion of protection from the harmful air.
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