Mumbai: None of the trees cut for the Metro 3 corridor at eight stations have been transplanted, while only one tree has been transplanted at three stations, says a report filed by an inspection team set up by a Bombay High Court-appointed committee.
The report, which The Hindu has access to, says no trees have been transplanted at Dadar station, where 21 trees have been cut and 32 more are marked to be cut. At Worli station, too, no trees have been transplanted, while 59 were cut and 63 more will be axed.
No trees have been transplanted at Acharya Atre Station either, where 24 trees have already been cut and 55 more will be cut. It’s the same story at Mahalaxmi Station, where 15 trees have been cut and 26 will be cut, and at Girgaon Station, where 10 trees have been cut and 11 more face the axe.
A visit to the the Domestic Airport Station at 8 a.m. on June 30 revealed that not a single tree had been transplanted, whereas three trees have been cut and three more will be. Those who visited the station included Zoru Bhathena, a representative of the petitioner; Yogesh Kadam from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation; Nikhil Borkar, a representative of contractor J. Kumar; Javed Iqbal from MAPLE; and Sanjay Yadav, the Member Secretary of the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority.
The report says no trees have been transplanted at the Shitladevi Matunga Station, where 20 trees have been cut and another 27 will be chopped. While two trees have been cut and two more will be at Dharavi Station, none have been transplanted.
Whereas at the Santacruz Station, only one tree has been transplanted, with seven chopped down and seven more to be cut. At the Science Museum Station, one tree has been transplanted, but 45 have been cut and 99 more will be chopped. Only one tree has been transplanted at the Mumbai Central Station too, where 26 trees have been cut and 32 more will be axed.
The Member Secretary has said the authorities do not seem to be taking proper care while cutting the branches of the trees for transplantation.
Citizen Ruchir Bansal had complained of lack of tree-cutting permission, police complaints going unheeded, and the “incorrect” location of Cuffe Parade terminal. The report said these grievances were related to the plan, which has already been sanctioned, and the authority cannot look into them.
Petitioner Nina Vermahad asked why 10 trees outside the station box had been marked to be cut. The officials said the trees had to be cut to accommodate heavy machinery movement.
