78 trees beside Parel railway station to face the axe, notices hidden from view

Growing abundantly next to the railway lines at Parel railway station are 78 trees that were in phases, over the last six years, brought out of the Tata Mill compound premises, by shifting its compound wall back. These trees are now slated to be axed to make way for railway lines

Sabah.virani@hindustantimes.com

Mumbai, India. Jan 01, 2025: BMC plans to cut down 78 trees outside Parel Railway station to construct the Central Railway's 5th and 6th lines. Mumbai, India. Jan 01, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

MUMBAI: Growing abundantly next to the railway lines at Parel railway station are 78 trees that were in phases, over the last six years, brought out of the Tata Mill compound premises, by shifting its compound wall back. These trees are now slated to be axed, but anyone walking past them would not get any inkling as the notices required to be pasted on such trees to alert citizens and give them a chance to raise questions or objections, have been hidden on the rear side of the trees facing the compound wall. No eyes would fall on the notices except those that seek these out. In the same way, daily passersby would know only when the cutters arrive to cut the trees down.

“I walk this route every day, from my home in Parel to the Army bridge over Parel station, to get to my office and back,” said resident Ravikant Choudhary, a chartered accountant. “Two days ago, I noticed something marked on the first tree in the row. I looked behind the trees, only to find that all of them had a death warrant pasted sneakily behind.”

The notices, issued by the BMC’s F South office, and pasted on each of the 78 trees, were dated December 4, although the signed date of the signatory – BMC’s Tree Authority in Byculla – was mentioned as December 20. The trees are proposed to be cut for the construction of the 5th and 6th line of CSMT and Kurla stations on the Central Railway, on the plot of land acquired by CR from the Tata Mill Compound. Only two of the 78 trees will be transplanted.

“These are old trees that have only recently been taken out of the ambit of the compound, as I’ve seen the old compound wall demolished and a newer one built before my eyes a few feet back. Most of them are mango and palm trees, planted alternatively, and the rest are jackfruit, peepal and jamun trees. If they’re going to be cut, at least the notices should be pasted in clear view of people walking by,” said Choudhary, who called the attention of authorities and environmentalists on X. He plans to write a formal objection letter to the BMC on Thursday, as he suspects the trees are at least a century old.

The BMC, on the other hand, passed the buck onto Central Railway. “The trees are around 45 years and older, although their age varies. It is harder to transplant older trees, which is why only two trees have been chosen for transplantation. For now, only the proposal to cut the trees has been submitted, for which the BMC issued a notice. Central Railway has pasted the notice and will carry out the cutting, although citizens will have 30 days to raise any objections against it, following which a hearing will be held. I will enquire into the notices hidden from sight behind the trees, on Thursday,” said an officer from the F South ward’s garden department.

The chief public relations officer of the Central Railway did not respond to queries about the notices.