BMC Tree Authority approves chopping of 2,700 trees for metro construction in Aarey Colony.

By Abhay Shah, Realty Quarter

On August 29, 2019, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Tree Authority (BMC) gave its approval to chop more than 2,700 trees for a metro car-shed in Mumbai’s leafy Aarey Colony region. At the meeting of the Authority, chaired by municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi, the proposal was cleared, although members of the Shiv Sena opposed it. A senior government worker said Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL), which is developing the metro, brought forward a proposal to remove 2,232 trees and pledged compensation by planting three times as many trees elsewhere in the city.

“MMRCL also requested permission to remove and re-transplant another 469 trees,” the representative said, adding that the location had been checked by the authorities’ representative before granting the approval. “Metro is highly important for the city and it is the responsibility of everyone to support work related to infrastructure. In addition, not only will the metro save fuel, but also safeguard the environment,” said Manoj Kotak, member of BJP.

However, Shiv Sena youth party president Aaditya Thackeray claimed that the problem had been ‘misled’ by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. “The metro is good; I use the existing one and will use the new one as well. But whoever in Mumbai planned this green chopping obviously has no love for our future generations or for our city.

“The chief minister and the municipal leader confessed that Mumbai’s flooding was a consequence of climate change. Unfortunately, government authorities do not comprehend the tree-to-global warming relationship. 33 hectares of Aarey’s car-shed region has thousands of indigenous trees, species and also the Mithi River floodplain”, said Amrita Bhattacharjee, who initiated a tree-saving campaign in the Aarey Colony region.