Navi Mumbai: A massive human chain formed along Palm Beach Road on Sunday, with residents and environmental groups urging the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to reconsider its proposal to cut or transplant 440 full-grown trees for a planned underpass project.
Citizens Demand Elevated Corridor Instead
Citizens demanded that the civic body explore greener alternatives, suggesting an elevated corridor instead of removing mature trees. Protesters argued that Navi Mumbai cannot afford to lose its tree cover at a time when air quality concerns and urban heat are on the rise.
B N Kumar, director of the NatConnect Foundation, said activists are working with experts on a proposal to extend the existing road-over-bridge across the trans-harbour railway tracks between Vashi and Sanpada. According to him, the elevated corridor could ease traffic congestion without disturbing the green canopy.
Proposal to Merge with Existing ROB
Shrikant Patki, convenor of the Palm Beach Greens Forum, said the proposed elevated stretch could extend up to the Moraj traffic island at Sanpada. “It can begin ahead of the traffic signal and merge with the existing ROB on the northern side,” he said, adding that a detailed proposal would soon be submitted to the civic body and taken up with Forest Minister Ganesh Naik.
Citizen groups including Save Belapur Hills, Human Chain Online, Jyesth Nagrik Sanstha and Parsik Greens participated in the demonstration.
Kumar pointed out that Navi Mumbai falls short of the recommended per capita norm of three trees per person and needs to significantly increase its green cover. Drawing a parallel with the COVID-19 crisis, he said authorities should not erode the city’s “green lungs” when the importance of oxygen has already been realised.
Not Anti-Development, But Pro-Trees
Activists clarified that they are not opposed to infrastructure projects aimed at reducing traffic snarls, but insisted that development should not come at the cost of mature trees. Placards reading “No Trees, No Future,” “Ped Jiyenge Toh Hum Jiyenge,” and “Relocation? I am Not a Sofa,” highlighted concerns that transplantation cannot substitute preservation.
Environmentalists also stressed that trees take 10 to 12 years to mature and provide optimal oxygen, arguing that planting new saplings cannot compensate for the loss of established trees.
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