Mumbai: In a partial climbdown following public opposition, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to recommend transplanting a Baobab tree at its hydraulic department office site on Yari Road instead of cutting it for the Coastal Road North Package–A project.
A K-West ward garden department official on Thursday said the revised proposal will be placed before the Tree Authority, which is yet to be constituted. The committee will take a final decision on the matter.
The civic body now plans to recommend the cutting of 183 trees and transplantation of one Baobab out of a revised list of 184 trees under this phase of the project. These trees form part of a larger proposal involving 348 trees, of which 183 are now proposed for felling and 165 for transplantation.
Officials said that although 1,113 trees were initially found to be affected by the project alignment, over 765 were saved after design modifications. “We had clear instructions to try and save the maximum number of trees. These 348 trees are directly in the way of the project,” the official said.
The garden department generally does not recommend transplanting large, old trees due to logistical challenges and lower survival rates. However, it decided to make an exception in this case following strong public opposition, the official said.
While environmentalists have been long protesting against cutting trees and mangroves for the Versova stretch of the coastal road project, the axing of a baobab was particularly significant due to the nature of the tree. Many baobab species are rare with several of them endangered due to deforestation.
Landscapist Robert Fernandes, who approached the department seeking preservation of the tree, said Baobabs are heritage trees and should be conserved at a location close to their present site.
