Eight trees, some over 35 years old, will be cut and four transplanted from BMC’s Worli Engineering Hub on Dr E Moses Road for an electromechanical car park project near Acharya Atre Metro station. Civic staff expressed concern but cannot file objections as employees. Officials say only select species can withstand transplantation.
The trees that will be axed
The decision to axe eight trees and transplant four others from the BMC’s Worli Engineering Hub premises on Dr E Moses Road has concerned civic officials working there, as they cannot file suggestions on the matter due to being government employees. BMC staff said the trees are at least 35 to 50 years old and include tropical evergreen species such as jackfruit, peepal, banyan, and ashoka.
According to notices pasted by BMC’s Garden Cell on these trees on July 29, eight trees will be cut and four will be transplanted as part of the construction of an underground and elevated electromechanical car park (shuttle and robo-parking system) adjoining the Acharya Atre Metro station of the Aqua Line ahead of Worli Naka.
A civic staff member at the engineering hub said, “Being officials ourselves, we understand that this is part of a project. But efforts can be made to transplant all trees. It is upsetting, especially because we cannot give suggestions or even reveal our names. There are no residential buildings here. All trees are in the BMC premises, so it is unlikely anyone will say anything.”
A notice placed on one of the trees by the BMC’s Garden Cell
Another civic staffer said, “We discussed and know that we cannot give suggestions. We can only urge our counterparts in the Garden Cell to take the right call. It was disheartening to realise these trees will be cut.”
According to information from the Garden Cell, only those tree species that can absorb the shock of being uprooted and transplanted elsewhere are shortlisted for transplanting. An official said, “We studied the trees affected by the project to construct a car parking lot adjoining the hub. Only four trees are of sturdy species that can withstand the shock of transplantation. So, while in principle the trees can be transplanted, the cost is high, and their survival is unlikely. Hence, the decision was made to axe them.”
The proposal was made by the senior architect (city) and aims to construct a parking lot for the use of officials working at the engineering hub, who are currently facing a parking crunch. The Election Department will also operate from the same building during every election.
As per the notices, two trees have been tagged as ‘dead’ by the Garden Cell, while six live trees will be axed and four others transplanted.
“The old adjoining building in front of the engineering hub’s main building will be replaced by a multistorey structure, and these trees are coming in the way of that design, according to what we have learned,” a civic staff member said.
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