Activists, residents up in arms after BMC hacks three trees on pretext of
averting accidents.
Two days after the municipality cut three huge fully grown trees on MG Road in Goregaon (west), residents of the area plan to launch a ‘chipko campaign’ today [Thursday] to pre-empt “destruction” of greens in their backyard. The residents are up in arms as the municipality plans to hack 11 more decade-old trees on Thursday.
The Chipko movement is an old means of non-violent protest to resist the axing of trees.
Activist Dr Avisha Kulkarni, who is leading the protest, said there was no justification to chop the trees. “Goregaon, once known for its greenery, has become a concrete jungle with thousands of trees cut in the name of development. We will not allow any further destruction,” said Dr Kulkarni.
She said that the municipality claims that the trees are infected with fungus. “With help from a scientist, Dr V Malti, we had sprayed an organic fungicide on some of the trees and the results were amazing. Why is the municipality not using this proven, low-cost method to save the trees?” said Dr Kulkarni.
Officials from the municipality’s garden department said the trees were being cut after two motorists were injured when a huge tree fell on them in Goregaon on September 17.
A municipal official from the civic zone concerned (P-south ward) said that after the fungus attack in summer, they kept watch to see if the bug gets washed out during the monsoon. “Despite heavy rains in June and July, only 50 per cent of the trees survived. To avoid another untoward incident, we have to cut the dry ones. We have started removing them,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official added that of 22 dry trees in the area, 14 of them on MG Road are likely to be cut. “But we will not touch trees which can survive,” said the officer.
The official confirmed that activists from the area had met him.
“The activist had met us during monsoon to suggest ways to tackle the fungus. But we wanted to see if the fungus gets washed away during rains... We will discuss the issue again with her. If the experiment succeeds, we will implement it across the city,” he added.
Where it started
The Chipko movement or Chipko Andolan is a movement that practiced the Gandhian methods of satyagraha and non-violent resistance, through the act of hugging trees to protect them from being felled
The landmark event in this struggle took place on March 26, 1974, when a group of peasant women in Uttarakhand’s Reni village acted to prevent the cutting of trees and reclaim their traditional forest rights that were threatened by the contractor system of the state Forest Department.
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