Napean Sea Road residents accuse the civic body of not replanting trees
Napean Sea Road residents accuse the civic body of not replanting trees The tussle between the BMC and residents of Napean Sea Road over the cutting of trees for the road-widening project is far from over. The residents accused the BMC of not sticking to its promise of replanting trees that have been cut. When the BMC got earthmovers and other equipment to cut some more trees yesterday, the residents called Additional Municipal Commissioner (city) R A Rajeev to vent their anger.
He, in turn, promised to speak to the authorities and take necessary action. But that wasn't enough to calm the agitating citizens.
Shardul Bajikar, a naturalist with Sanctuary Magazine, said, "The BMC has ruined the old trees by cutting them vertically and uprooting some of them." Many trees are lying in such a position that they can fall on anyone anytime.
Even two weeks after the protest, the trees have not been replanted. But Municipal Commissioner Dr Jairaj Phatak said, "The trees will be replanted. They are most likely to be replanted at Priyadarshini Park. The citizens can alert us about vacant places."
The residents along with Bittu Sehgal, editor of Sanctuary Magazine, have approached an architect for a plan that will not only save the trees, but also ensure the widening of the road. "We want to work with the BMC to smoothen the traffic of Napean Sea Road. We have asked for an appointment withu00a0 BMC authorities to show our plan."
