Mumbai: A group of residents of Powai and Chandivli are protesting against the sanction given to cut or transplant more than 100 fully grown trees that stand a plot, CTS-9, near the Shimmering Heights building. Some trees have already been cut and the residents plan to protest on the streets if it does not stop. Over 350 signatures of nature lovers were collected in an e-drive against the tree cutting. While a complaint was sent to municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, it is learnt that permission to cut 45 trees and transplant 70 trees was given for the plot. Residents said that they all know what happens to transplanted trees—like at Aarey Colony—where all such trees died. They urged the BMC to stop the tree cutting for the sake of the environment and prevention of pollution.The chairman of Shimmering Heights society, Pravin Yadav, said: “By Friday evening, we managed to suspend any further tree cutting on this plot. However, we are worried that the cutting may resume later, since they have reportedly got permission from the Tree Authority in Feb 2024. We are questioning why they are doing the tree cutting after nearly two years. It is rather suspicious.”NatConnect Foundation has sent an urgent email to the chief minister and the municipal commissioner calling for a complete overhaul of Mumbai’s tree policy and demanding an immediate halt to further cutting and transplantation, warning that Powai’s fragile ecology cannot take another hit. The environment NGO described the sudden destruction of a mature canopy as “heart-wrenching and ecologically reckless”.The ‘Save Powai Trees’ appeal stresses the ecological cost, the AQI threat, and the absence of any fresh public communication on the year-old clearance. “Over 30-year-old trees such as peepal, neem, and other indigenous varieties are being killed at this Powai-Vihar plot. The tree lovers will come out and protest if such rampant tree destruction continues in Powai, as that will further aggravate pollution,” said B N Kumar of NatConnect.Pamela Cheema, chairperson of the BMC-appointed Advanced Locality Management Committee, said she was “deeply shocked” that another green pocket was being erased. “When will planners realise that trees in Mumbai are survival systems, not landscaping?” she asked. While TOI tried to contact the DMC-rank official of Tree Authority on th eissue, he could not be reached on the phone.“This is not just losing trees. These are natural oxygen plants, carbon sinks, and biodiversity hubs,” NatConnect said, pointing out that Mumbai’s tree cover stands at merely one tree for every four citizens—far below the recommended three per person. With the city’s AQI repeatedly slipping into the ‘poor’ category this winter, the group warned that felling mature trees amounts to “triggering an AQI time bomb”.Powai resident Manoj Samudra explained the science: a two-decade-old tree delivers carbon sequestration, canopy cover, air purification, groundwater recharge, and wildlife habitat that saplings cannot match for decades.
