Old tree in Powai faces BMC’s axe

The official was referring to the letter to a local resident last month wherein the BMC had instructed that since the tree was dangerous and leaning over the road, it must be pruned, making no mention of cutting the tree. “The said tree is dangerous and leaning on the road. However, it should be placed at least 8-10 feet above the ground. Pruning of the trees should be done as mentioned in the permission”, reads a part of the notice. The notice further read, “Permission to cut the tree has not been given for any kind of construction.”

Meanwhile, responding to questions, Tabrez Ali Sayed, a Powai resident and activist, told Express that following protests from local residents, who said the tree was over a century old, the contractors stopped short of cutting the tree in its entirety, leaving 8 to 10 feet of the tree above the ground.

“When a big and old tree like this is slated to be cut, the civic body should put up a notice informing of the plans and also invite objections from the citizens. However, no such notice was issued in this case. Furthermore, neither the officials from the tree cell nor the ward officials were present on the spot during the tree cutting. It was being carried out solely by a private contractor. Even the letter which earlier issued by the BMC to local residents mentioned only pruning of the tree,” said Sayed on Wednesday.

The move comes a day after the civic body issued a notice seeking the removal of 542 trees to facilitate the development of an upcoming Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Bandra Reclamation. Of the 720 trees currently present in the area, the civic body has chalked out plans to cut 189 trees and transplant 353 trees, much to the chagrin of local activists.