After the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) failed to disclose the number of trees planted at the cost of Rs. 12.01 crores along the Metro 3 route in an RTI application, the recent reply says that only 584 trees have been planted at various locations across 13 different places. However, the number of trees planted and the total cost of planting raises concerns as the cost of planting one tree amounted to a whopping Rs. 2 lakhs.
Last week, The Free Press Journal had reported about MMRCL’s reply to an RTI query by Godfrey Pimenta of the Watchdog Foundation, where the government-owned company claimed to have spent a sum of Rs 12.01 Crore on tree plantation along the route of Metro 3 or Aqua Line (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz). However, the Corporation had failed to provide the details of actual trees planted along the route. Surprisingly, the latest reply said that only 584 trees were planted, for which the cost shown is a shocking figure of Rs. 12.01 crore.
In the RTI reply dated July 18, MMRCL had said that it had awarded tenders for supply, delivery, plantation and maintenance of advanced nursery growing trees for three years. While the plantation at Tree Package 19 (Dharavi to SEEPZ) totalling10 Metro stations costed Rs 3.39 Crore, the Tree Package 20 (Mumbai Central to Shitaladevi) totalling eight metro stations costed Rs 3.37 Crore and the Tree Package 21 (Cuffe Parade to Grant Road) totalling six metro stations costed Rs 4.94 Crore till June 26, 2024.
Pimenta had also sought information about the total number of trees planted, which the MMRCL said was attached as Annexure 1 but was actually not provided with the RTI reply, claimed Pimenta. After Free Press Journal reported about this scam by MMRCL and Pimenta’s letter to the corporation, the government company sent the details about tree plantation, which were more shocking.
It stated that 30 trees were planted in Package 19, 183 trees in Package 20 and 371 trees in Package 21, totaling to 584 trees planted up to June 23. With the cost of Rs. 12.01 crores, MMRCL claims to have planted only 584 trees which means that after planting each tree, MMRCL has spent Rs. 2.05 lakhs.
“The maximum cost should not be more than Rs. 200 per tree inclusive of earth moving and soil preparation. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has fixed Rs 800 per tree as the price for the same activity,” Pimenta had earlier told The Free Press Journal.
“The amount of Rs. 2 lakh spent for planting and maintaining each tree is a laughable amount. Earlier MMRCL had planted trees in Aarey Colony near Ganesh Mandir and Picnic Point, those trees are left on their own now. There is no maintenance happening of any sort and makes us question the expenditure. This amount is clearly spent as a bribe to the contractor,” said Pimenta.
