When mid-day visited the spot, it found that the trunks of 12 fully grown roadside trees were completely covered by concrete
Trunks of 12 trees covered in concrete at Metropolitan Court Lan. Pics/Ashish Raje
Activists recently raised concerns about the effect of road concreting on tree trunks on Andheri’s Metropolitan Court Road. An official from the BMC’s garden department stated that an inquiry will be conducted into the issue, a report stated.
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When mid-day visited the spot, it found that the trunks of 12 fully grown roadside trees were completely covered by concrete. Civic officials said they were investigating whether a private agency is responsible for this. Several activists told this newspaper that this contravenes laws and does not allow the trees to breathe.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has clear guidelines regarding breathing space around trees. Following the NGT’s directives, the BMC issued guidelines in 2018 mandating a minimum breathing space of one square metre around each tree to prevent suffocation and promote proper growth. Before launching its mega concreting project in 2023, the civic body had decided to keep three square metres of breathing space around trees free from debris. On February 15, mid-day reported that a fully grown tree had collapsed onto a building in Matunga after its roots were damaged during concreting.
These directives must be adhered to as road are concreted, as if a tree base is already compromised, it is endangered and will most probably die. It is important to ‘stop’ the choking of trees at the onset.
Whoever these contractors are, they must know that there will be consequences of going against NGT norms. First, they must be aware of these rules. Then, they must know that they will be penalised if they choke trees with escalating action, which should be blackmailing in case of repeat offenders. Trees need protection and care, our life-giving greens are all the more precious because of how few we have.
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