Mumbai: Residents up in arms to save 1208-tree Mira Road garden

The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation MBMC has sparked outrage by announcing plans to remove 1208 trees from the Gyan Jyoti Savitribai Phule Udyan a wellmaintained garden on Kanakia Road visited by hundreds of joggers daily in order to expand a sewage treatment plant STP adjacent to the open spaceThough the municipal corporation said that it would safely relocate the trees officials have failed to reveal their projected survival rate All these trees are eight years old the MBMC is yet to look at alternative areas to replant them Joggers meanwhile claim that there are around 2000 trees in the park and that all of them will be destroyed causing an lsquoenvironmental disasterrsquo at a time when air quality is at a low due to rampant construction in the area They plan to stage a peaceful protest on SundayAn aerial view of the sewage treatment plant right in pic surrounded by the trees the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation plans to remove for its expansionA 59yearold jogger Sailesh Mishra alleged that as many as 2000 trees would be uprooted saying ldquoThis green space is the green lung of a polluted city and is essential for a healthy community We request that the STP be built or relocated at a suitable location far away from any residential areardquoAdvocate Krishna Gupta a resident who took exception to a public notice on the proposed tree removal published by the MBMC on November 27 and wrote an email to MBMC chief mentioning his objections to the plan said ldquoUrban development should not come at the cost of our cityrsquos green lungs The MBMC has failed to provide details about where these 1208 trees will be relocated The corporation has no technical experts to relocate these trees or to shed light on their survivalrdquoAfter the public announcement was made the citizens were given seven days to submit their objections and suggestions ldquoThere was no advertisement in the locality where the trees exist so locals could not object The MBMC intends to cut down these trees to benefit private contractorsrdquo he saidThe Gyan Jyoti Savitribai Phule Udyan which Kanakia Road residents consider the localityrsquos green lungsldquoI raised around 20 questions before the MBMC but no clear answer was given Civic officials do not have clear replies regarding the exact location of the relocation expert supervision expected survival rate and longterm monitoring plan for the replanted trees or these have not been disclosedrdquo said GuptaHe added ldquoThe MBMC is not publishing details about the expenditure incurred on the treesrsquo plantation and maintenance It isnrsquot even informing the citizens about the cost for replantation While the STP belongs to the state government MBMC officials intentionally did not inform the former about constructing the STP at the cost of cutting 1208 treesrdquoTin barricadesIn an effort to proceed with their plan to expand the STP MBMC officials barricaded a section of the park on February 14 restricting the free movement of visitors ldquoFor the past few days Irsquove been seeing a tin barricade on a walking track which prevents people from entering a Miyawaki forest area This restricts our walk to only 400 metresrdquo said Mishra who had been advised to jog after he experienced cardiac issues in 2000ldquoAt first we thought repair work was going on but still found it weird Out of curiosity yesterday Thursday I asked the gardener and he said the MBMC was going to remove all the trees Shocked I took photos and videos and posted them on social media Then Gupta a friend of mine informed me about STP expansion and MBMC noticerdquo he addedThough the MBMC claims that it has made a public announcement most joggers and residents of the 25 cooperative housing societies near the park said they were unaware of the plan to remove the trees according to MishraA 41yearold banker Mangesh Sarang said ldquoWe donrsquot know where these trees will be replanted Joggers and locals will face a lot of difficulties if the park is destroyed If the municipal corporation converts this beautiful park into an STP pollution will be nextlevel in Mira Road This will not only directly impact daily parkgoers but also multiple housing societies nearbyrdquo he addedSarang who has been visiting the park for the last four years appealed to the MBMC to take locals into confidence before finalising any plans ldquoI am surprised that even the parkrsquos caretakers were not apprised of any such developmentrdquo he saidEnvironmental hazardsBhupinder Singh Lohia 51 the chairman of a housing society who has written an objection letter to the MBMC stated that the existing STP was already emanating an obnoxious smell throughout the day ldquoThe extension of this plant will only add to our woes We have been facing a lot of difficulties because of the existing STP The municipal corporation should reconsider their decision The destruction of these trees will have a huge impact on the environmentrdquo he saidResidents told midday that the STP emanates unpleasant odours and is also responsible for noise pollution ldquoThere is high possibility of water contamination if not properly managed and potential health concerns for residents particularly those with preexisting respiratory issues due to the release of pathogens and pollutants into the environmentrdquo said a member of the managing committee of Onyx Cooperative Housing SocietyOfficial SpeakMBMC Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kalpita Pimpale said ldquoThese trees are obstructing the extension of the STP Though we are yet to decide the location these trees will be transplantedrdquoWhen informed that the STP was already troubling locals Pimpale said ldquoBesides protecting the environment the municipal corporation also carries out development work We issued public notice in connection with the issue and a hearing was also conductedrdquoAsked about the survival rate of these trees if transplanted the official said ldquoWe are in touch with the horticulturist I am going for a meeting please make a good storyrdquo