1,100 trees to make way for GMLR project in Mumbai – Times of India

MUMBAI: As many as 115 trees will have to go to make way for construction of a flyover as part of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project, BMC officials said. Most of these 115 trees would have to be cut, officials said, without specifying any number. Totally, around 1,100 trees will be affected – either axed or relocated. The rest of the trees will be affected due to road-widening proposed along Mulund and Goregaon side of the proposed road.
Satish Thosar, chief engineer BMC bridges department, said, “We are yet to decide on the exact number to be cut, however all the trees will need to go.”

The road will include a tunnel that will come up below Sanjay Gandhi National Park. With this, more green cover stands to be sacrificed. Work on the tunnel will be taken up later, said officials.
Activist Zoru Bhathena said that in almost 80% of cases when transplantation of trees is done, the survival rate is very poor. “It is better if BMC relocates the trees to the end of the same proposed road itself instead of taking these to another location. However, if the trees are those that have been recently planted, their survival rate is high,” he said.
Advocate and activist Godfrey Pimenta said that environmental destruction done can be irreversible. “This should not be allowed at any cost and we will vehemently oppose it,” he said.
BJP’s Vinod Mishrasaid that the land adjoining the Nahur stretch where notices have been pasted on trees is salt pan land. “I have been informed that BMC has not got the land needed from the salt commissioner. So, on what basis is this road-widening being proposed. Also, the proposal to fell trees is questionable,” said Mishra.
The total length of the road is proposed to be more than 12 km.