Mumbai: Clash of wills at Malabar Hill

There was not too much shanti but more of ashanti as locals gathered at the steps of Pherozeshah Mehta Garden also known as Hanging Garden at Malabar Hill The early Friday evening meet was to understand from the water dept garden dept and BMC officials about a proposal to cut at least 389 trees in the area to make way for a new water reservoir There is already one old reservoir in the area Trees here and in the adjacent garden called the Shantivan lesserknown tucked away behind the Hanging Garden absolutely stunning with its dense foliage are going to face the axeWalking to the site to understand the projectDiscussionsResidents were peeved that they were not taken into consideration or part of early discussions as it is ldquoWe the locals who are going to be most affectedrdquo said resident Prakash Munshi who was part of the group that had congregated at Hanging Garden Munshi said ldquoThe point that resonates with everyone I think is that the constant refrain of our officials that there is no alternative is being met with scepticism Have they looked hard enough for an alternativerdquo he asked while many residents concurredAlso read Mumbai Diary Thursday DossierCoolerSunil Pillai a Malabar Hill resident for over 50 years said ldquoIf you look at the larger picture Malabar Hill as an area does not have glitzy infra like malls or multiplexes What keeps us here then The greenery This is what makes the air cooler See here it is at least one to two degrees less because of the greenery When you take away that very factor then it is definitely a setbackrdquo Soon more residents and officials from the water and trees department reached the spotStretchedPervin Sanghvi a green activist said ldquoWater is a necessity If the existing capacity is not enough something has to be done we all agree to that Yet when this axing trees proposal came about was there enough thought given to the fact that this is a biodiversity hotspot If resources are so stretched then why are permissions being given for more and more high rises in the areardquo she asked as locals noddedHeatedBy now just before the site visit things started heating up a little with the moot point being that locals were unconvinced all options had been explored Activist Sanjay Shirke said ldquoWhy zero in on this spot only Every effort has to be made to save the treesrdquo A lady said angrily ldquoThis tree felling will change the heritage area completely After this reservoir etc which will change this garden will this name also be changed to Narendra Modi Garden or some such thingrdquo There were some laughs but the discussion was brought back on track Residents added ldquoWe just want to know what the options are or were and if or why they were not considered Progress and pragmatism are one thing There must be a premium on preservationrdquo Munshi said forcefully ldquoWe have doubts there are no alternatives Do not bulldoze your decisions on peoplerdquoNecessityA consulting engineer spoke on behalf of authorities proposing the water reservoir He said ldquoEven we are tree lovers We do not want to cut trees This is a necessity We have been working on this concept since 2018rdquo The officials stated that 389 trees are going to be affected There are 189 trees to be cut and 200 will be transplanted Residents poohpoohed the transplanted claim with many stating that ldquotransplantation does not workrdquo An official said the majority of trees will be transplanted in Bhandup They also stated that the old existing water reservoir needed reconstruction and is beyond repair ldquoas it is bulging and has outlived its capacity If there is a mishap there will be a flash flood hererdquo they said while a local remarked ldquoJust like in Libyardquo As the group wound its way to the areas affected walking to sites understanding the ground reality they asked the representatives to set up more meetings with seniors and residents389No of trees to be affected