The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Tree Authority told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it had not yet granted approval to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) to remove trees in Aarey colony.
The BMC’s counsel informed a Division Bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Bharati Dangre that it will take 15 days to grant the formal permission, and no tree will be cut till then.
The court then directed the BMC to file a reply to the plea in five days and posted the matter to be heard on September 17.
The BMC’s explanation came after the court sought the BMC’s response to the plea filed by local resident Zoru Bhathena, challenging a resolution passed by the Tree Authority on August 29 to cut or transplant 2,646 trees in Aarey to make way for a Metro car shed.
Mr. Bhathena said the order breached the judgement passed by another Bench of the HC. The plea said the Tree Authority has been set up to protect and preserve the trees of Mumbai and not to illegally sanction their destruction.
The petition said, “The Tree Authority has been constituted under the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act. On June 30, it called for suggestions and objections from members of the public on a proposal by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation seeking removal of 2,702 trees (2,238 trees are proposed to be cut and 464 trees proposed to be transplanted).”
The plea said, “The letter written by Mr. Bhathena with objections to the Tree Authority on July 8 raised 14 points. On July 8, the tree officer conducted a public hearing, where approximately 500 citizens once again raised their objections.”
On August 29, the Tree Authority cleared a proposal to remove 2,646 trees (2,185 are to be cut and 461 are to be transplanted) at Aarey, which is a reduction of 56 trees from the original proposal.