100 trees chopped off on Parsik Hills near CIDCO, greens warn of landslides

Navi Mumbai: Even as the climate change is adversely impacting the state, over a hundred full grown trees have been chopped on the Parsik Hills near City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (CIDCO) headquarters, environmentalists said and warned of landslides along the Sion-Panvel highway.

Pointing out a recent Supreme Court observation that 'cutting trees is worse than killing human beings', NatConnect Foundation called for exemplary punishment for those responsible for chopping the Parsik Hill trees.

The Supreme Court has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh for each illegally cut tree, NatConnect Director B N Kumar pointed out to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Upset with state owned CIDCO’s continued apathy towards the environmental care, NatConnect said it will consult legal teams to move the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

This wanton act is bound to cause landslides during the rains and affect people and properties, the environment-focused NGO said.

Kapil Kulkarni of Save Belapur Hills forum said reckless cutting trees on the hills seems to have become a routine affair with the authorities remaining unconcerned. He pointed out that the uprooting of trees on the Belapur Hill has rendered the soil loose which has already caused landslides twice in recent times. Yet, unfortunately, CIDCO is to act.

It is high time that CIDCO realised that climate change is not some science fiction, said.

“On the one hand the government keeps screaming from rooftops that we must plant and save trees, while on the other the city planners do not care for tree protection,” Kumar said.

“It takes at least 10 to 12 years for trees to grow, and they are wiped out in a matter of hours,” he regretted.

Coming as it does close on the heels of the destruction of mangroves and wetlands under CIDCO, the tree chopping reflects the so-called city planner’s negative attitude towards the environment, said activist Jyoti Nadkarni of Kharghar Hills and Wetlands.

NatConnect recalled that the Forest Department has already confirmed to the Human Rights Commission in a different case of tree destruction, that the Parsik Hills come under CIDCO.

Kumar pointed out that the air quality index (AQI)remains poor in the city for months together and the people are forced to inhale poison. At a time when Navi Mumbai requires thick patches of tree cover, the lopsided urban planning does not care for greenery, he regretted.

The environmentalists suggested strengthening the hills with native and fruit-bearing trees and thus conserving the city’s biodiversity.