Influencers join Mumbai’s fight to save 2,000 trees from coastal road axe

The activists are opposed to the plan to fell trees and mangroves in Versova to make way for the Coastal Road project. PICS/NIMESH DAVE

Mumbaikars who have so far strongly objected to the felling of trees and mangroves for the coastal road project, have now resorted to spreading the message via influencers, claiming that the authorities have turned a deaf ear to all their pleas.

On Saturday, the protestors shared a document with influencers to explain what they are fighting for. Titled ‘Losing 2k trees', the report stated, "Mumbai continues to lose mature green cover for road projects while citizens are repeatedly told there is little land available for new parks, forests or large-scale urban tree planting."

Bansari said, "We mainly did a lot of cold messaging to influencers like Dia Mirza, Sagar Singh (@mrearth_), and many more celebrities and influencers. They have been more responsive in helping us spread the word than the mainstream media." Some pages like @themumbaiwildlife have done collaborations with us also, she added.

Bansari K, explaining why the document is being shared said, "in a recent meeting that took place with the Tree authority, they have gone ahead and given the green signal to cut more trees despite us telling them that it will have a devastating environmental impact."

The activists have also looked into the Environment Impact Assessment that has been put out by the BMC in regards to the coastal road project, in which they have said that the areas where trees and mangroves are to be cut don't have any endangered species, but the activists say otherwise. "When we checked with experts in the field, we discovered that there were two species which are endangered, and those are the India Skimmer and Steppe Eagle," Bansari added.

Sunday mid-day contacted the BMC Trees department to get an understanding on what their stance is on the matter but did not receive a response till the time of going to press.