HC directs TMC, BMC to free tree roots from concrete

The Bombay High Court has directed the BMC and Thane Municipal Corporation to provide an update on the de-concretisation of tree bases, as ordered by the National Green Tribunal in 2015. The court also asked the corporations to set up a helpline for citizens to report trees in need of de-concretisation. The next hearing is scheduled for August 1.

STRAP: Also asks corporations to set up helpline for citizens

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Mumbai: The Bombay high court, while taking cognisance of the issue of trees becoming weak and falling due to concretisation of their base, has directed the BMC and Thane municipal corporation (TMC) to give an update on the implementation of a 2015 order of the National Green Tribunal to municipal corporations to de-concretise tree bases.

The HC passed the order while hearing a PIL seeking directions to the TMC to provide a job to the relative of a woman who died after a tree fell on her. The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif Doctor was informed that the PIL sought specific provisions for compensation to and employment of the kin/victims of incidents caused by the collapse of trees in Thane. The bench was told that the second issue was regarding the process of de-concretising the bases of trees in Thane district.

On June 7, the bench had granted time to the TMC to submit information about the de-concretisation of tree bases. On Wednesday, the TMC advocate informed the bench that the minutes of the meeting called by the assistant commissioner on this issue had been submitted. The advocate said that work on de-concretising the roots of 7,396 trees was pending, and would be completed in 45 days. However, the petitioner claimed that the number of trees requiring de-concretisation could be more.

The bench directed the TMC to carry out the de-concretisation work carefully in order to preserve the trees. Holding that the issue was not restricted to the TMC but also affected the BMC, it asked the petitioner to add the BMC as party to the case. The bench then asked both the TMC and BMC to give particulars regarding the de-concretisation of trees in their jurisdiction.

The bench also directed the TMC to set up a helpline/email address, through which the residents could inform it about trees that needed de-concretisation, and asked the TMC to give adequate publicity to this.

The bench also noted that the TMC commissioner had constituted a committee for the de-concretisation of tree roots in 2017, and based on its suggestions, had directed that even private properties, offices and cooperative housing societies should ensure that every tree on their premises had a 3ft x 3ft space filled with soil around it. The commissioner replied that the PWD would carry out de-concretisation of trees on TMC roads, offices, buildings and other spaces.

Noting that the NGT order of July 28, 2015 against the BMC, which directed the removal of concrete around trees had a “wider amplitude”, the bench asked the TMC commissioner and the BMC to submit reports as per the NGT order. The next hearing is on August 1.