Navi Mumbai: Residents and environmentalists stopped the alleged indiscriminate cutting of 17 trees inside the NRI-Seawoods Housing Complex at Nerul in Navi Mumbai after mechanical saws were used to trim and cut branches of mature rain trees, some estimated to be more than 30 years old, destroying bird nests and allegedly violating tree protection norms.The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) garden department reached the spot after residents alerted it and stopped the tree-cutting activity. NMMC said it would issue a notice to the housing complex, followed by the lodging of an FIR for violating the Prevention and Protection of Trees Act, 1975. Officials from the NMMC garden department also conducted a panchnama at the site and reported the matter to senior officials.NMMC said permission was given for scientific trimming of only six trees, but 17 trees of various species were pruned without following the norms, and the number exceeded the approved limit. Local resident and environmental activist Rekha Sankhala said 17 full-grown trees were cut, resulting in the loss of several bird nests. NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar questioned whether the housing society obtained the mandatory civic permission for such large-scale pruning. “We are aghast that such a brutal act could take place in a residential complex known for its environmentally conscious residents. Birds lost their nests in the middle of the breeding season,” Sankhala said.Smita Kale, deputy municipal commissioner of the NMMC garden department, told TOI, “We will soon file an FIR in the nearest police station after our investigation is over and the report is ready…it is shocking that this should happen in a complex where many residents themselves are actively campaigning to protect nearby mangroves and wetlands.” Activists demanded strict action against those who were responsible, calling the incident a “wanton assault on urban biodiversity”.
