Mumbai: Vile Parle locals furious after holes drilled in roots of decades-old tree

Full view of the 40-year-old tree that was poisoned.Pics/Satej Shinde

A 40-year-old tree in Vile Parle East has been found drilled with holes at its roots prompting a local to write a letter to the K-East ward office as well as the Vile Parle police station demanding action against those responsible.

Nitin Dicholkar, a representative from Shiv Sena (UBT), wrote in his letter, "A tree in front of Glad Quest building was killed by drilling holes in its roots and injecting toxins." The alleged motive behind the act, as per Dicholkar, was to improve the visibility of the building. He condemned the motive, labelling it as a threat to the environment.

Drilled holes visible at the bottom of the tree

Residents in the vicinity said they were shocked by the sight. "It's heart-wrenching to see such callousness towards nature. The tree was fine just 15 days ago," a resident said. Another resident requesting anonymity said, "Planting a few saplings will never be able to replace the effect and amount of oxygen generated by a full-grown tree immediately. Punishment for such things should be stringent. This case should become a benchmark so that next time if someone decides to commit such an act, he/she will think ten times."

Addressing the issue, an official from BMC's Gardens Department said, "We have intimated Vile Parle police station of the act and have demanded a thorough investigation. The police have registered an FIR." Senior PI Renuka Buva of Vile Parle police station confirmed, "The BMC alerted us, and we've filed an FIR against the building owner in connection with the tree desecration. Arrests are imminent, and we'll keep the BMC updated."

Despite confirmation by Buva and BMC garden department sources, the deputy municipal commissioner of the K-East ward denied the incident, saying, "No such event has occurred in our ward." Activist Advocate Godfrey Pimenta from Watchdog Foundation voiced concern, emphasising the legal consequences under Maharashtra's Tree Protection Act. In an email to BMC and police commissioners, he detailed the malicious killing of a fully grown tree at the Glad Quest construction site, urging a thorough investigation and swift action against the environmental violators.

40
The age of the tree destroyed