Now, Adarsh asked to prove it transplanted trees

Now, Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society is under the scanner over the transplanting of trees it chopped during its construction.

Now, Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society is under the scanner over the transplanting of trees it chopped during its construction.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sent a notice to the society asking it to show where the trees were transplanted and whether the rule of planting two trees for every tree chopped was followed or not.

The Garden Department, which was reviewing permissions given to the building between 2005 and 2008 to chop and transplant trees, has asked the society to prove that it followed procedures.

There were 158 trees on the plot. Permission was given to chop 41 and to transplant 78.

A Tree Authority member said on condition of anonymity since he is not authorised to speak to the media that if the society did not plant double the number of trees it chopped, it amounted to a violation of the conditions laid down while issuing the occupation certificate.

The society is already in trouble for allegedly violating environmental and other building norms.

Civic officials said Adarsh members sought permission thrice between 2005 and 2008 to hack trees. The first permission was taken in September 2005 for chopping 18 trees and transplanting 35. Later, the society approached the BMC twice in 2008 for permission to chop and transplant more trees.

According to a Tree Authority member, the trees belonged to Kasturi Park which was amalgamated into the plot on which Adarsh now stands. “These trees were planted by the military,” he said.