Where are the trees?

The perils of urbanisation can be clearly seen in Thane. Recently, Thane Municipal Corporation allegedly chopped about 20 trees in the city to widen a road near Khewra Circle.

Of late, Thane is witnessing a surge in road widening and repair work. Most of the important roads in the city are dug up for this purpose.The Khewra Circle Road is one such road that is undergoing widening. It connects many societies including Hiranandani Meadows, Vasant Vihar and Lokpuram amongst others.

The issue
It has been observed, in the process of widening, many full grown trees have been felled. Though the residents have opposed the chopping of trees, all their efforts have gone in vain.The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) that is  responsible for improving the city roads is allegedly responsible for chopping about 20 trees in the process.
Ghodbunder Road is expanding beyond its original boundary and residential areas are sprouting along its fringes. However, the expansion of the city is coming at the cost of greenery. Many trees were chopped during the completion of the Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagruha too.

Residents take
Residents allege that every time the corporation takes such steps they are not informed about the decision. Neither do they make any future plans made for the development of greenery in the area.Mahesh Patil, Thane resident, shares, “When we saw the people chopping the trees, we protested. However, they asked us to go and speak to the concerned authorities who had given them the order.”
Swati Joshi, another resident, adds, “When asked about the details, they said they have permission to fell the trees.
“A similar incident took place during the construction of Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagruha. The authorities promised to plant trees but till now we haven’t seen any. Something should be done immediately.”

Official take
Jagdish Thorat who works closely with the tree department, adds, “The trees cut during the widening of the Khewra Circle Road were approved by the tree department. Although I personally do not think it is a good idea, looking at the future prospect of the road, cutting the trees is inevitable.”
In regard to the incident, KD Lala reluctantly says, “The residents were informed about the felling of trees.”
PRO of TMC, Sandeep Malvi, shares, "The TMC is actively planting trees. We make sure we replace the number of trees cut with the same number of new ones. If, however, we give the deal to a private contractor he will have to plant five trees in place of one. The contractors also have to pay a certain amount to the TMC for the future maintenance of the tree.

The law states
Tree cutting laws are fairly strict but are most often flouted. As per the law, if permission is obtained from the municipal corporation to fell a tree for road widening or any other purpose, then another tree has to be planted at a distance of 14 feet from the original location. When the contract is handed over to a private contractor, he has to plant five trees for every tree choopped.

--Padmja Sinha