Mumbai: A resident of Borivali suspected that trees were being poisoned in Rajendra Nagar as poison holes were seen in at least 10 trees there. Residents have complained to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation that the trees seem to have been drilled at the bottom for inserting poison into them.
According to the locals, the alleged poison holes were first discovered in the trees on December 26, following which, the residents became alert about the incident. “A few days back, I saw some workers doing some activity in the area. Upon enquiring, they said that they had been sent by the builder to put some board at the site. Upon close inspection, it was found that drilling of the trees had been carried out and chemicals had been inserted. Later when I enquired with the builder, he said that he had not sent anybody,” said Anil Kadam, a local resident.
Ever since the incident, residents, along with local activists, have written to the BMC but claim that no action has been taken on the matter. “We have sent photographic evidence of the incident. Most of the affected trees are Ashoka and mango trees. Some of the coconut trees were also poisoned, which have gone dry from the top. This is a clear example of deliberate killing of trees,” said Subhajit Mukherjee, founder of the NGO, Let's Green Foundation.
Meanwhile, the BMC has said that a site inspection will be carried out, only after which it can be determined whether the trees have been poisoned or not. “The inspection will soon be carried out on the matter based on the complaints by residents,” said a member of the tree authority, BMC.
