Mumbai: The Bombay high court Tuesday rapped the Brihanmumbai Muni-cipal Corporation (BMC) over a plea alleging unauthorised tree cutting. The court called out the civic body for failing to preserve the city’s ecosystem.
The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a city resident, alleging that in the name of routine pruning ahead of the monsoon, the BMC was found hacking trees in the Kalanagar area of the city.
A bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice N.M. Jamdar asked the civic body what the children of the future would learn if the ecosystem were damaged. “What will you teach children? Trees, birds, squirrels, snails, bees... all have an important role to play in the ecosystem. We learnt in books about pollination, and how bees collect nectar and make honey, and the importance of nature...,” the bench said.
The petitioner, Steph-anie Richards, informed the court that in Nove-mber last year, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) had sought the BMC's permission to prune some trees within its office premises in Kalanagar.
The BMC granted permission and employed contractors for the task. However, the contractors indiscriminately chopped off tree branches, almost reducing the trees to stumps. Photographic evidence of the same was submitted by the
petitioners.
The civic body’s garden department officer, present in court, told the court that such action was only for pruning and not cutting or felling of trees.
