Citizen team finds gross violations during tree audit, says many transplanted trees were dead
A three-member citizen team conducting an 'audit' of trees transplanted at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has allegedly found gross violations, and it said that a majority of the transplanted trees were dead and even the compensatory plantation carried out was done in an unscientific manner.
On Monday, armed with data procured under Right To Information (RTI) on the transplantation carried out in G-Block (the plot opposite the American Consulate) in BKC, Stalin D, Project Director of Vanashakti, Kaustubh Bhagat, environmental consultant, and Amrita Bhattacharjee, a member of the Aarey Conservation Group (ACG), visited the site and they were shocked by the state of the plantation.
An inspection report by the STUP consultant in January 2017, who is in charge of the project, had stated that all the trees were alive.
"We were horrified to see the way the trees have been transplanted; barring a few, most of them are dead. Several trees have been transplanted under the shade of existing big trees, which was against transplantation protocol," claimed Stalin.
The activists have even written to BMC, which is the agency responsible for granting permission for transplantation. "BMC has the responsibility to ensure that the trees are not killed. We have demanded a joint inspection at the site to get to the root of the sham," said Stalin.
Bhagat said that in a cluster of around 18 trees transplanted, about 13 trees were dead. "The tree saplings planted as compensatory plantation looked neglected. Mature castor plants were growing all over the area, which outgrows other plants around it. Also, it did not look like the plants were being watered regularly," he said.
He added that saplings of compensatory trees that were planted, like Alstonia scholaris, whose girth is often more than one metre, were planted close to each other, which is detrimental for their survival.
Questioning the claims by agencies like MMRDA and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited that they would successfully transplant trees coming in the way of several key projects, Bhattacharjee said that it was nothing but a way of fooling citizens.
When contacted, MMRDA officials said inspect the site along with their consultants, and in case they find that trees are being harmed, the wrong will be corrected.
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