Mumbai: MMRC's 50 dead, dying promises at Aarey colony

Some of the trees transplanted at Aarey that are now dead

Fifty trees that the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) had grandly transplanted at Aarey after uprooting them from the SEEPZ and MIDC area for Metro III work, have been dying quiet deaths. A nature lover has alleged that nearly half of these trees are almost dead.

MMRC, however, has been claiming that the trees have been properly taken care of. The evidence (in the picture) shows otherwise. The MMRC had transplanted the trees to a plot adjacent to the proposed metro car depot site at Aarey Milk Colony.

Local residents and environment lovers, who have been opposing the metro car depot inside Aarey Milk Colony, have been alleging for a long time that the transplantation process is nothing but hogwash. Over the years it has been seen that the survival rate of the trees removed while constructing infra projects and transplanted at various locations have hardly survived.

A nature lover from the area, who did not wish to be named, had visited a temple adjacent to the car depot site in Aarey some time ago. On his return visit a few days back, he was shocked to see that many of the trees that were transplanted in one section of the plot outside the car depot site were either dead or on the verge of dying.

Speaking to mid day, he said, "Every time I visit the temple, I have a habit of scanning the area to see if the transplanted trees are alive or not. While walking on the road adjacent to the plot where the 6-10 feet long trees were transplanted, I was shocked to see that of the 50 trees, nearly 20-25 seemed to be almost dead. This is something very serious because despite getting enough of water during the rains, these trees have died."

On closer inspection, the nature lover found that many of the trees had small boards of information put up on them regarding the location from where they were removed. "But, looking at the sorry state of the transplanted trees, the question that comes to mind is are the authorities just making tall claims of conducting proper transplantations, because on the ground the situation is really bad." MMRC did not reply to the email sent by this newspaper.

Enviornmentalist Stalin D said, "This only proves our assertions that this entire exercise of transplantation by MMRC is nothing but a farce and we knew that it would never succeed because it is nothing by eyewash. MMRC does not have the expertise or equipment for transplantation. By saying that they will remove the trees coming in the way of alignment and transplant them, MMRC wants to show that it is concerned about the environment but the fact on the ground is exactly the opposite."

Activist Zoru Bhathena said, "Who will believe that MMRC can build a state of the art metro, but can't save a tree? It is clear that they have no intention of saving the trees nor do any good for the environment. Even the Bombay High Court judges on the Tree Committee have several times pulled up MMRC for their bad tree care; but MMRC remains unbothered."

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