Mumbai: Girgaum banyan tree could have been saved, says city arborist

Mumbai Girgaum tree could have been saved says city arboristRecently a majestic banyan tree in Girgaum was hacked allegedly to clear the view for commercial hoardings The police arrested four persons in connection with the crime and registered a noncognisable case under relevant sections of the Maharashtra Preservation of Trees Act 1971 Promising strict action Maharashtra Tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray tweeted ldquoThis was one of our most beautiful spots in that vicinity the culprits wonrsquot be spared whoever it isrdquo The BMC has now decided to revoke the licenses of two advertising companies that had allegedly deployed men to hack the treeVaibhav Raje arboristThe city is no stranger to trees being brutally felled under the pretext of trimming or for commercial purposes According to reports only 13 per cent of spacestrapped Mumbai has green cover Vaibhav Raje arborist and partner at Treecotech LLP was asked to inspect the site at Girgaum to see if the tree could be salvaged ldquoThe tree ficus benghalensis would have been around 50 years old Had it been pruned scientifically there wouldnrsquot have been any cause for concern But from the looks of it it seems that it was topped and amputated leaving a bare stump behindrdquo He says regardless of what species or size the tree is toppingmdashthe indiscriminate cutting of tree branches to stubs or to lateral branches that are not large enough to assume the terminal role is highly detrimental to the health and longevity of a treeldquoAlthough the banyan tree species is quite abundant in Mumbai and is resilient this does not justify the mistreatment it has receivedrdquo With all its canopy cover now gone the tree has been exposed to further urban environmental stresses making it even more challenging for it to cope ldquoAdditionally the tree is located on a narrow median at a busy junction making it difficult for any root zone treatment due to all the compaction around it Any cosmetic treatment may not be that effective given the size and condition of the treerdquo He says that the only way out is to allow the tree to take its natural course and hope that it springs back to life but to expect it to regain its former glory anytime soon may not be possibleEnvironment activist Zoru BhathenaAccording to the Maharashtra Urban Areas protection and preservation of Trees Act 1975 two new saplings have to be planted within 30 days of a tree being felled or the time given by the tree officer The original tree can also be transplanted Additionally a deposit of at least Rs 4000 has to be made for each tree that is being felledEnvironment activist Zoru Bhathena says the tree protection laws are fairly decent on paper There are processes and provisions for everything whether it is trimming of branches or transplantation of trees ldquoThe system therefore is in place The problem lies in implementation Letrsquos say you cut 10000 trees because they were coming in the way of a development project where are the 20000 new saplings that you were supposed to plant for felling those The system is so unmotivated that they themselves donrsquot follow itrdquoRaje says that while laws for tree protection are stringent they seem to be effective and applicable only if one is caught in the wrongdoing which is not helpful if the damage is already done At present as per section 21 of the Maharashtra Preservation of Trees Act 1971 the punishment for cutting trees is a fine of Rs 1000 to Rs 5000 and imprisonment ranging from one week to a year ldquoEven if they make arrests in the case itrsquos normally the junior most guy who might have got Rs 1000 to cut the tree who will be arrested The mastermind goes away scotfree which is the case with most thingsrdquoRaje believes what we lack in terms of tree laws is the finer underlying policies standardisation of tree management and safe operating procedures ldquoFor instance tree pruning should cover an initial tree risk assessment followed by specific technical recommendations and involvement of qualified competent tree care experts who understand the subject to execute the same With changing times it is imperative for mega cities to upgrade their tree management regime to international standards with the help of professional arboriculture experts like usrdquo