We must ensure tree transplantation drives bear fruit

New saplings planted recently at the same Aarey site. Pic/Nimesh Dave

A plot in Aarey Milk Colony, once used to transplant over 100 fully grown trees felled for the construction of the Mumbai Metro, shows little trace of reforestation. A mid-day ground check revealed that most of the transplanted trees have vanished, confirming long-standing fears that the process would end up being more symbolic than sustainable.

The same land is now being used for a new plantation drive, raising questions about accountability, success rates, and the seriousness of compensatory afforestation.

Environmentalists quite rightly point out that trees are repeatedly cut and ‘replaced' with little monitoring or outcome. Locals say more than 100 new saplings were planted here barely ten days ago, with permission from the Aarey CEO's office.

We must see that transplantation, replanting, or whatever one would like to call it, bears real fruit. It should not be that only placatory noises are made to assuage those raising their voices against tree hacking.

In this particular case, it has been observed that the trees have simply disappeared, and an investigation is needed to determine where they have gone. At the same time, green warriors have been crying themselves hoarse about the futility of transplantation. Get them on board, and when tree cutting is necessary, go about replanting trees and look after them, in the best possible way, so that they survive.

On Environment Day (June 5), leaders made grandiose statements about tree planting and the numbers we aim to hit this year. While all this may sound very pleasing, it is important that the preservation of the existing green cover is the bottom line.

Where have these particular trees vanished? Who has done away with them? Have they died? If so, why? These questions need answers, and we need to learn lessons from what has or is going wrong in plantation drives.