Mumbai: 154 trees to be hacked in BKC for Metro station

The proposed BKC metro station will come up on a plot of land surrounded by buildings (top) on three sides and a huge cache of land with mangroves on the fourth. Pics/Shadab Khan

More trees are set to come on the chopping block for Metro 2 and 3. Authorities have planned to hack 154 trees to make way for the proposed Metro station at Bandra-Kurla Complex for the Dahisar-Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd (Metro 2) and Colaba-Bandra-Seepz (Metro 3).

The proposed BKC metro station will come up on a plot of land surrounded by buildings on three sides and a huge cache of land with mangroves on the fourth. This site is on the BKC road opposite the Income Tax building. The mangroves are seemingly protected, as a few shanties that came up on the protected site have been recently demolished.

Transplantation unclear
Sources said that there are 154 trees within this plot, getting in the way of the proposed Metro station. The trees seem small in size and less dense. As per the proposal made by the Tree Authority, all of these trees will be removed but chances of transplanting them have not been considered yet. However, an official from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) said, "We are transplanting trees that are getting cut due to this project wherever possible."

On the Metro 3 line, the BKC station is the 18th from Cuffe Parade, which is the first. The barricading work has already begun around this plot with ‘Colaba-Bandra-Seepz' boards being put up there. Both Metro lines will have a BKC station, but it is unclear if they'll share the same plot, as Metro 3 is underground.

Counting the costs
The cost of this 33.5km long underground metro rail - that has 27 stations - has gone up by nearly 28 per cent. Its initial cost of civil construction was around '14,000 crore which has now surpassed '18,000 crore. MMRC expects to partially commission this line from Seepz to BKC by end of 2020, and the complete line is expected to be reach Colaba by 2021.

This '23,136 crore metro line, which shall have its car shed at Aarey Milk Colony, has been receiving huge opposition from activists and locals. Aarey could lose a large portion of its forest cover - nearly 2,300 trees - if MMRC goes ahead with the construction.