The afforestation drive to compensate for around 1,400 trees cut for Kochi Metro project has left environmentalists seething with anger since neither Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) nor Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is willing to complete the onerous task.
Officials of both agencies blamed the other for the state of affairs, with neither agency owning up responsibility for planting and tending of 10 times the number of tree saplings.
Environmental activist Prof. C.M. Joy said the metro agencies were shown tracts of government land lying idle in different parts of the district. “But they were not keen on taking up any greening initiative there. Their half-hearted tree planting drive in many other places has resulted in many saplings having an early death. Instead of engaging in blame game, they must abide by environmental norms and conditions in the metro’s Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report. Else, the city will be unable to make up for lost green cover and oxygen supply,” he said.
He added the Kerala Tree Protection Council intended to take up the issue with agencies that had promised funding for the metro.
The Ernakulam District Residents Associations’ Apex Council (EDRAAC) too had expressed concern about cash-rich metro agencies not launching a full-fledged greening drive in the district.
"It must have been over by now"
“The DMRC ought to have completed the task by now, since it had committed to take up the afforestation drive,” said KMRL sources.
“On our part, we planted 2,000 tree saplings along the side of many roads, including S.A. Road and Chilavannoor Bund Road and in educational institutions. Most of them bear flowers or fruits.
Another around 6,000 smaller variety of trees like neem have been planted along Container Road,” they said.
Countering this, a senior DMRC official said it had planted over 2,000 tree saplings in different parts of the district, mainly in the vicinity of girder-casting yards in places such as Kalamassery and Muttom.
“Tree planting is everyone’s responsibility and hence we distributed a few hundred saplings to members of the public too. We are now doubly focused on metro works to make up for time lost to hartals and strikes,” he said.
