Act on our tree complaints, Mumbai’s Pali Hill residents tell BMC

Mumbai city news: Residents claim the civic body has been sitting on their requests to trim trees and branches that may fall during the monsoon.

Residents of several societies in Bandra’s Pali Hill area are up in arms against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), claiming the civic body has been sitting on their requests to trim trees and branches that may fall during the monsoon.

While the issue has been a point of contention for months, the residents were irked after a tree dangerously arching outside lyricist Gulzar’s house was cut on July 4. The chairperson of the Pali Hill Residents’ Association, Amitav Shukla, said the 30-year old gulmohar tree was chopped without permission from BMC, He said he will write to civic chief Ajoy Mehta.

Residents said they had repeatedly asked civic officials to allow them to trim dangerous trees around their buildings. One resident, Rupa Hingorani, told HT, “I had asked the BMC permission to cut a tree last year. After a branch of a tree fell on a car last year, I approached them again. But officials just come to check, never take any action.”

The tree outside Gulzar’s house was axed after it cracked the concrete fence around it. While some residents said the letter Gulzar sent asking for the tree to be cut was not approved by residents or BMC, others said the lyricist was not at fault.

“BMC officials are to blame. We will plant two trees at the same spot,” said Madhu Poplai, the association secretary. Poplai said, “We asked for trees to be trimmed last month. But, got no response from BMC. Gulzar made a complaint and the tree was cut the same evening.”

Ward officer Sharad Ughade said the tree was dangerous. “We’ll act on the complaints.”