Mumbai: After the Shiv Sena charged tree experts of the Tree Authority with financial wrongdoing, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Praveen Pardeshi has clarified that the allegations against them are ‘totally baseless’.
When the MMRC’s proposal to remove 2,646 trees for Metro 3 car shed at Aarey Colony in central and western suburbs was cleared on August 29, with three out of the five experts voting in favour of the proposal, BMC standing committee chairman and Shiv Sena corporator, Yashwant Jadhav, had alleged illegal financial transaction between the agency and tree experts.
Two tree experts, Dr Shashirekha Suresh-kumar and Dr Chandrakant Salunkhe, had written to Mr Pardeshi, expressing their disappointment with the allegations and had submitted their resignations.
However, the BMC commissioner has not accepted their resignations as yet. “Charges made against you of any financial wrongdoing or unethical behaviour are totally baseless,” Mr Pardeshi, who is also the chairman of the Tree Authority, wrote to them.
Dr Sureshkumar thanked the BMC chief for issuing the clarification.
“We believe that the trees at Aarey need to be saved. We are working professionals. We do not know how to play politics. The commissioner has asked us to rethink our decision to quit. But if our observations and suggestions as tree experts are not considered, and proposals are passed in haste, what is the purpose of being on the panel,” she said.
Apart from the three tree experts, members belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as one member of the Nationalist Congress Party had backed the proposal.
Two tree experts were absent during the meeting. The two Congress members of the committee abstained, while Shiv Sena opposed the proposal.
