21 April,2011 07:01 AM IST | | Urvashi Seth
Members of Tree Authority, a body elected by the BMC, have instructed civic officials to publish details about builders in public notices, so citizens can lodge complaints easily
The green crusade continues, this time from the quarters of Tree Authority, a BMC body which has civic officials, government officials as well as eminent horticulturistsu00a0 as its members. The members of this body have demanded transparency from the BMC authorities on its public notices. After receiving feedback from citizens, they instructed that the names of the developers and their postal addresses be published on public notices hereafter.
The members are of the opinion that citizens have the freedom to raise objections on any project. The BMC is accountable to the citizens, and there should be complete transparency about the people behind the development of any structure. Explaining the matter, Niranjan Shetty, member of Tree Authority, said, "Public notices are published only in regional newspapers. Moreover, neither the name nor the postal address is given in the notices. How will the public come to know where trees are being cut?
Who are the developers? There needs to be sufficient transparency about these matters. Simply naming the place is not enough. More specific details need to be given, so that citizens can know what is going on in a lane next to them," he said.
Shetty added that the names of developers is indispensable, in order to enable citizens to raise objections if necessary. "If they are aware of the notoriety of a particular company, then they can inform the BMC and prevent them from hiring the company. The BMC cannot hand over responsibilities to somebody who has a bad reputation and is unfit to undertake a particular project. We don't want a repeat of situations like the Adarsh scam," he said.
Nilesh Baxi, another member of Tree Authority, echoed Shetty's sentiments. "Address is a must. When people want to take action, the fail to find details. When they finally manage to file a complaint, they are told that the date of objection has already passed, and the trees have been chopped off. Why do we take the environment for granted? BMC must post the phone numbers and addresses of the developers in bold, so that passers-by can spot them easily on the notice boards."
Rahul Shirsekar, a resident of Bandra, complained that many trees in the area were being chopped off without prior notice being given to the residents. "When the government is not interested in saving the environment, then it is difficult for us to do anything. We believe that charity begins at home, but unfortunately it seems that the BMC does not believe in the dictum. Notices should be sent to all Area Locality Management (ALM) bodies of the particular area, so that their members can duly inform the residents. The government needs to fasten its belt when it comes to environment," he said.
The Other Side
Vilas Shirke, superintendent of the BMC's Garden Department, said, "All citizens can always lodge their complaints with the Tree Authority."u00a0 Questioned further about concrete measures taken by officials to facilitate citizens, he refused to comment.
