Mumbai: Why BMC's tree transplantation project is a sham

For the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC the loss of over 200 trees is a small price to pay for development Two years ago it uprooted these trees from the Bhandup water treatment plant complex and transplanted them on the same premises to make way for a tunnel linking the complex to Marol Maroshi But the trees never stood a chance of survival They have been poorly maintained mdash many left for dead and cement splattered at the roots of some othersAlso readMumbai Are dead trees being transplanted in AareyCement concrete and crushed stones mdash from the tunnelling work nearby mdash have been dumped at the roots of many trees leading to their death PicsRajesh GuptaAround a week ago Rajesh Gupta a freelance photographer visited the area where the trees have been transplanted which abuts the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and found that a majority of them appeared to be dead Transplanted trees can be identified by the identification number tags pasted on them by the BMC Gupta also found cement concrete and crushed stones mdash from the tunnelling work nearby mdash at the roots of many trees He found many trees near the water body ruling out any excuse that water for the trees has to be hauled over long distancesMany transplanted trees at the Bhandup water treatment plant complex have dried up The roots of some others have been clogged by cementconcrete mixtures from the tunnelling work nearbyThe tunnel project began in 2014 but it has overshot its December 2015 deadline Since the work is being carried out in phases the number of trees uprooted and transplanted has varied over time As per the plan over 400 trees will be affected by the project Environmentalists have been opposing the transplantation work since they feel that such treesrsquo chances of survival are slimAn environmentalist confirmed that over 200 trees have been transplanted over the last two years ldquoBut the transplantation was a farce No one has bothered to check if the trees have survivedrdquoThe authorities canrsquot blame the poor maintenance on water shortage since many of the trees have been transplanted close to the water body on the premisesS Gavit deputy superintendent of gardens BMC said the contractor and the civic bodyrsquos hydraulic engineering department together shoulder the responsibility of transplanted treesrsquo maintenance ldquoWe will write a letter to the department asking it why the trees are not being properly cared forrdquoNiranjan Shetty member of the BMCrsquos Tree Authority felt that the contractor alone should be held responsible ldquoThe project may be the BMCrsquos but the contractor is being paid for the work So he should be held responsible if the trees are not being taken care of properlyrdquolsquoEnd the farcersquoEnvironmentalist Stalin D from NGO Vanashakti demanded that the ldquofarce of transplantationrdquo be stopped immediately ldquoThe BMC and other development agencies do not have an expertise in transplantation Trees are not paperweights to be moved around the process requires careful scientific handling Going by the way the BMC and other agencies undertake the transplantation work the survival rate of trees drops to less than 5rdquoAccording to another environmentalist it wasnrsquot the tunnel project alone that needed transplantation of trees The BMC administration had placed two proposals on uprooting and transplanting trees at the Bhandup Water Complex in 2009 Permission was sought to remove 1812 trees in phase one and 534 trees in the second for construction of a master balance reservoir in middle Vaitarna damAs per the approved plan 1001 trees were to be transplanted in phase one and 188 in phase two A majority of this transplantation work has been completed