BMC blamed for tree casualties

While the increased number of tree-falling incidents across the city in the past week has left everybody shocked, former Tree Authority (TA) members on Monday alleged that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) could have averted the green casualties, had it used the tree census data to its benefit.

As per the BMC’s Disaster Management Cell, around 100 trees fell across the city and suburbs between Tuesday and Sunday.

Stating that the tree census data had all the details, including every tree’s age, its growth, height, healthy-unhealthy status, Niranjan Shetty, a former Tree Authority member said, “Ward-wise details of trees are available, and could have easily been sorted out to prevent their loss in heavy rains.”

“For two years, we had been asking the BMC authorities for details of unhealthy trees, but they have been avoiding a list, saying the data is voluminous,” said Shetty. “Till date, neither the BMC gave us such a list nor did it manage to list the unhealthy trees to keep a tab on them ahead of monsoon,” he added.

Another former Tree Authority member UN Singh said, “Had the BMC prepared the list and kept a watch on unhealthy trees, their loss could have surely been cut or controlled efficiently.”

Though undertaken once in five years, the tree census details could be used to keep a tab during monsoon to either trim it or take necessary preventive measures to avoid the mishaps.

Alleging the BMC of not carrying out pre-monsoon tree survey on many roads, civic activist Nikhil Desai, a member of F-North Citizens Forum, said, “Many a dangerous tree on roads like Nathalal Parekh Marg and Mancherji Joshi Rd in Parsee Colony have not been trimmed.”
But, deputy commissioner of Gardens  Suhas Karwande said the census data is being used “to cut nearly 340 trees this year. We don’t have this year’s details as the census is yet to take place.”