BMC asks Navy to show go-ahead for trees felled at INS Trata

The civic body points out that the Tree Authority, not MoD, is the sanctioning authority for trees cut in Mumbai

MUMBAI: The civic administration has asked the Indian Navy if it had sought the approval of the BMC’s Tree Authority before it uprooted a large number of trees on defence land, at INS Trata, in Worli. The question has arisen in view of an allegation that the Navy has uprooted and cut around 100 trees on its land to build sailors’ quarters.

BMC asks Navy to show go-ahead for trees felled at INS Trata

The question was raised in a letter dated February 17, by assistant superintendent of gardens, G South Ward, to the Western Naval Command. It was based on a complaint by Advocate Y P Singh on January 31, a resident of the area, that 100 trees had been cut without the go-ahead of the Tree Authority. According to the Maharashtra (Urban Area) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975 permission must be sought from the BMC’s Tree Authority for the felling/uprooting of trees in Mumbai.

“In view of the above, you are here by requested to inform this office if any such tree cutting/uprooting is done on referred plot within Navy jurisdiction and submit valid permission copy if received from Tree Authority to remove the trees,” stated the BMC’s letter.

Further, Singh pointed to a 2017 circular issued by Ministry of Defence (MoD), which lays down the procedure for the cutting of trees on defence land. This circular mandates the seeking of permission from the Forest Authority, which in Mumbai is the Tree Authority.

An Indian Navy spokesperson told HT that since INS Trata was defence land, all the necessary permissions had been sought from the Ministry of Defence and Coastal Regulatory Zone. According to Captain Mehul Karnik, defence public relations officer, Mumbai, “The allegation by the complainant that over 100 trees are being cut illegally at INS Trata, Worli, is factually incorrect. The Indian Navy is building two residential towers at INS Trata to alleviate the deficient accommodation for its serving sailors in Mumbai. INS Trata is an ‘A1’ category of defence land as established by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and due approvals have been accorded as per the existing policy by the MoD for the construction of the two buildings and also the uprooting of 73 trees at the location and planting double the number of trees at a suitable location. Only those trees that are in the building portion have been uprooted; the remaining trees still exist on site, which are on the outer periphery of the building portion. Environmental and CRZ clearance was also accorded for the project on said site, and adequate trees have been planned to be planted in and around the site by the completion of the project.”

A tree officer with the BMC’s G South Ward said, “This is the first time we are hearing from them that Ministry of Defence permission is required for tree cutting. We need to examine what permissions they have in place. When we visited the site, we couldn’t exactly estimate how many trees were cut as the site was covered with mud.”

Singh told HT that Google Earth satellite photographs and photographs taken before the construction on the Navy land showed that the number of trees estimated to have been felled was 100. “However, this will have to be independently ascertained through an investigation by the Tree Authority, from data maintained by the Authority, and from other evidence,” he said.

Singh countered the Indian Navy’s statement, stating, “To state that MoD has granted permission, is not correct. MoD only grants administrative approval and provides funds. MoD does not deal with finer aspects of town planning and the impact of cutting trees in the local environment. Town planning and tree cutting is a technical issue having a bearing on the ‘Right to Life’ of the people. The Navy should let this be handled by the statutory experts, which in this case are the town planners of the municipal corporation.”

“Further, as per orders of the Supreme Court, for every tree cut without permission, 100 trees are required to be planted. The Navy will have to follow this directive for every tree cut without permission of the Tree Authority,” said Singh.