Mumbai: In view of rising incidents of tree falls in Mumbai this monsoon, the Congress party has launched a public campaign to protect trees. The party has appealed to citizens to take a photo if there's no 1x1 mts mandatory space left around the tree bases, specially on the recently concretised roads, and immediately register a complaint to BMC.
Chembur Tragedy Sparks Fresh Scrutiny Of Road Concretisation
The civic body has come under the scanner after the tree fall mishap in Chembur, killing 11-year old school boy Vihan Shrivastav. It is alleged that the massive roadside tree came crashing during the heavy rainfall as it became weak internally after road concretisation, and it's roots were killed due to absence of the mandatory open space around its base.
Congress spokesperson for Mumbai, Sheetal Mhatre, who launched the campaign said, "Providing a 1x1 meter space around trees is part of BMC regulations as well as the terms of road concreting contracts. Despite this, the rule is not being followed in many places." She also alleged that payments are made even when work remains incomplete, resulting in trees falling during rains.
Citizens Asked To Tag BMC On Social Media
The Congress party has appealed to Mumbaikars to post pictures of such trees on Twitter, tagging the official handle of the BMC and use the hashtag #ProtectMumbaiTrees.
Mhatre said that if every Mumbaikar reports at least one such incident, it will put pressure on the BMC administration to take action and get contractors to complete the unfinished work, adding that this is not a political campaign.
Activist Flags Similar Violations Along Eastern Express Highway
Meanwhile, activist Godfrey Pimenta, trustee of Watchdog Foundation has highlighted absence of mandatory space around several trees on Eastern Express Highway (EEH), making them highly susceptible to uprooting during strong winds and rainfall, posing a grave threat to motorists, pedestrians, adjoining properties and public infrastructure.
In his complaint email to the BMC commissioner and secretary of ministry of environment and forest, Pimenta said, "It has been observed that a large number of trees have been completely surrounded by cement concrete and paving, leaving little or no exposed soil around their trunks. The tree pits have either been drastically reduced in size or entirely covered with concrete, resulting in choking of the root zone and preventing proper aeration, water percolation and natural root expansion".
The recent instances of trees collapsing during the monsoon underscore the urgency of addressing this issue before it results in loss of life or property, Pimenta said.
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