230 cut for easing traffic in Mulund
The octroi department of BMC has planned to cut down 230 full-grown trees as part of a beautification project and for extension of the yard near Hari Om Nagar.
The octroi department of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned to cut down 230 full-grown trees as part of a beautification project and for extension of the yard near Hari Om Nagar in Mulund east. The process of felling has already begun and almost the entire green stretch of trees next to the highway police chowky has been razed.
Octroi department sources said they were working towards beautifying the area around the Octroi Naka connecting the highway by developing a new administration wing, building weighing bridges and extending the yard, among other things. “Yard extension and the beautification project have already got the nod from the department and the work has begun,” said an octroi official requesting anonymity. Meanwhile, S Gavit, horticulture assistant, BMC T-ward, said, “The tree authority has given permission for cutting 230 trees for this project in 2008 itself. But, they have also asked us to plant 171 trees in return. In fact, for every single tree cut, two new plants need to be planted.”
Environmentalists, however, rue the cutting of trees. They doubt whether plantation of 171 trees would indeed be undertaken and if at all, how soon. “Okay, the yard should be extended in view of the daily traffic snarls. But, the loss of 230 trees is huge. If one tree is cut, 10 ought to be planted to save the environment. This is not the right time for transplantation. It must be done just before the monsoons for the results to be visible,” said Punam Singavi, president and trustee of Haryali, an organisation that fights ecological degradation.
Octroi department sources said they were working towards beautifying the area around the Octroi Naka connecting the highway by developing a new administration wing, building weighing bridges and extending the yard, among other things. “Yard extension and the beautification project have already got the nod from the department and the work has begun,” said an octroi official requesting anonymity. Meanwhile, S Gavit, horticulture assistant, BMC T-ward, said, “The tree authority has given permission for cutting 230 trees for this project in 2008 itself. But, they have also asked us to plant 171 trees in return. In fact, for every single tree cut, two new plants need to be planted.”
Environmentalists, however, rue the cutting of trees. They doubt whether plantation of 171 trees would indeed be undertaken and if at all, how soon. “Okay, the yard should be extended in view of the daily traffic snarls. But, the loss of 230 trees is huge. If one tree is cut, 10 ought to be planted to save the environment. This is not the right time for transplantation. It must be done just before the monsoons for the results to be visible,” said Punam Singavi, president and trustee of Haryali, an organisation that fights ecological degradation.