Hindustan Times: Mumbai: Sunday, February 26, 2017.
The
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) tree authority okayed the cutting of
25,018 trees in the city between 2010 and 2016, revealed a reply to a Right To
Information (RTI) application. However, municipal officials had no records to
show whether the lost trees were replaced by fresh plantations or if they were
transplanted.
An RTI filed
by city-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Watchdog Foundation in
January, sought to know the number of proposals cleared by the tree authority.
The reply identified 1,927 proposals received and cleared by the department to
cut and transplant trees between January 1, 2010 and November 16, 2016 under
the provisions of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) and Preservation of Trees Act,
1975.
“The
department permitted tree felling for projects such as road widening,
construction of buildings, hospitals and various infrastructure projects across
the city’s 24 wards. All the proposals were carefully discussed during meetings
and only then finalised,” said Medha Gogate, assistant superintendent of
gardens, tree authority.
Gogate said
records detailing transplantation or replantation of these trees were
unavailable as they were still being compiled. “After we sanction the felling
of trees, each ward is asked to submit a list of trees that have been planted
or transplanted for various projects within their ward. Some of the wards have
submitted a report while others are still awaited,” she said. “We do not have
the consolidated report yet.”
According to
the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Preservation of Trees Act, two new saplings have
to be planted within 30 days of a tree being felled, or the time given by the
tree officer. However, the original tree can also be transplanted.
Additionally, a deposit of at least Rs4,000 has to be made for each tree that
is being felled. The amount is refunded within two years if the new saplings
are seen to be growing satisfactorily. There is no extra penalty if the
original tree does not survive transplantation.
Activists
said there needs to be a dedicated panel to overlook compensatory afforestation
for the trees that were hacked. “It is shocking that they the authority
permitted the hacking of 25,000-plus trees, but there are no checks or balances
on the number of trees planted in their place. Officials from the state
government or the Union environment ministry need to monitor the situation and
ensure that laws stipulated under the tree act be followed by the municipal
corporation,” said Godfrey Pimenta, trustee, Watchdog Foundation.
He added that
he will submit another RTI to procure information about tree-cutting projects
between 2010 and 2016.
According to
the BMC’s environment status report (ESR) 2015-16, the city currently has
29,89,654 trees as compared to 24,11,508 trees in the 2014-15 ESR report. The
increase was attributed to the census being carried out at Aarey Colony,
Goregaon.