Mumbai: Contractor chopping healthy trees alongside deadwood, allege Aarey residents

A new kind of threat is looming large over the Aarey Milk Colony. Residents allege that the contractor hired to clear deadwood by the Aarey CEO office is also targeting healthy trees. To prevent this malpractice, they have suggested deployment of security guards or Aarey officials across work sites.

Truckload of timber compiled by chopping dead and healthy trees

One of the residents, who claimed to have seen a healthy tree being logged, said, "I am not saying that the contractor is going after healthy trees. But I've seen workers chop healthy trees at a couple of sites. A layman can't identify whether the logged tree was dead or healthy. So to prevent further loss of good trees, Aarey officials should personally monitor the clearing process."

Green branches piled near the hospital show a healthy tree was logged

Incriminating evidence
To prove their claims, a few residents visited the forest area near the Aarey Hospital on Tuesday and clicked pictures of trees that were chopped using chainsaws.

"I saw them leaving with a tempo full of logs. A few of the logs appeared to be of the healthy trees. When I asked the workers whether the trees they sawed were all dead, they failed to give a satisfactory reply. They kept repeating that they had permission and left the spot. So I decided to investigate myself. When I entered the forest, I was shocked to see that healthy trees had been targeted. To support my claim, I clicked a picture of green branches from the spot where the healthy trees were logged, " said another resident.

Official speak
Aarey CEO Gajanan Raut said, "We have awarded a yearly contract to clear deadwood that fall naturally. The contractor is allowed to clear them only after we do a panchnama. If at all healthy trees are being chopped, then appropriate action will be initiated against the contractor if found guilty."