With the dwindling tree covers in the city, particularly Aarey milk colony owing to the Metro-3 line project, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) tree authority department has not sanctioned any tree-cutting proposals since June 2017. Five different proposals for tree cutting pertaining to the Metro-3 line have been issued by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRC) since June this year. A total of 516 trees are slated to ax according to the documents of the BMC’s Tree Authority. Recently, the tree authority issued a public notice seeking objections and suggestion for the proposal of cutting 444 trees at Saritpur Nagar, Goregaon. The trees would make way for exit ramp, setting electricity pylon and road diversion plot in the Aarey colony area. 72 trees are slated to be chopped for the casting yard and launching shaft at Aarey colony. However, the civic body has maintained that it is in the process of sanctioning the proposals after looking into suggestions and objections. Metro body has task to cut out trees and there are number of hurdles on the way from the NGOs and like-minded people posing problems for such proposals.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
