Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation allowed cutting of 39k trees in 11 years

In 11 years, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has given permission for chopping down 38,899 trees in the city and transplanting 36,000, revealed data procured by Andheri MLA Ameet Satam from the BMC garden department.

According to the figures between February 2010 to July 2021, a total of 38,899 trees were cut in the city and more than 50% of these were for the projects undertaken by private individuals or organisations. Whereas 36,117 trees were transplanted in the city.

The data reveals that private parties got permission to cut off 21,253 trees and transplant 17,964 trees between 2010-21. The BMC got permission to cut 8,843 trees and transplant 10,075 trees. Further, for several metros, railway and government projects, permission was given to cut 8,803 trees and transplant 8,078 trees.

Fuming over BMC allowing private parties to cut more than 20,000 trees in the last decade, in a letter to the state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray, MLA Ameet Satam drew the comparison that the state government halted the construction of a car depot for Metro-3 in Aarey Colony where only 2,700 trees were to be cut but on the other hand, BMC has allowed private parties to cut more than 20,000 trees in the last decade.

Satam shared, “What I fail to understand is how private parties were given permission to cut off so many trees. While the Metro car shed depot -which is meant to ease travel in the city has been stalled in the name of around 2,000 trees.”