Navi Mumbai: Green activist receives CM Uddhav Thackeray's assurance over MIDC's plan to chop 3K trees for road work

A green activist from the city says that the state government has directed the Industry Secretary to look into the proposal for replantation and cutting of a total of 2829 trees in the Trans Thane Creek (TTC) Industrial area in MIDC Navi Mumbai for road works. The NatConnect Foundation, an NGO from the city, claimed that the chief minister's office has responded positively after they complained about cutting trees in large numbers.

The NGO claimed that the MIDC requires Maharashtra State Tree Authority permission for cutting over 200 trees. B N Kumar, NatConnect Director said that even Environment Principal Secretary Manisha Patankar Mhaiskar confirmed the same. “As per the law, cutting of trees above five years old and above 200 trees need the permission from Maharashtra State Tree Authority,” said Kumar.

Earlier, on May 24, the MIDC, Mhape had published a notice in a newspaper regarding the replantation of 2,212 trees and cutting of 617 trees from A Block, EL Block, and R Block Amrit Hotel Road in TTC Industrial Area in Navi Mumbai. It had been given 8 days to submit objections and suggestions.

“MIDC issued a public notice in a Thane newspaper inviting objections for removing as many as 2,829 trees of which it will replant 2,212 and cut 617 trees. It is wrong on the part of MIDC to publish the notice in a Thane-based newspaper whereas it impacts people of Navi Mumbai,” alleged Kumar.

He added that the record of survival of replanted or transplanted trees is highly suspicious and all the trees will be ruined.

However, green activists, as well as residents, are happy that they received a positive response from the chief minister’s office. “We received an email response from the CM specifically marking the complaint to the Industry secretary,” said Kumar. He added that they hope that the government will take appropriate action.

Kumar said that it is shocking that the planners think that trees that come in the way of concretization should be replanted or cut when we need more trees in view of the climate changes. “The Mumbai Climate Action Plan admits that temperatures in Central Mumbai are higher than the rest of Mumbai because of concretization that reflects heat,” said Kumar.