‘Unofficial authority has given consent for tree cutting’

Mumbai: Mumbai based tree-activist Zoru Bhathena on Monday moved the Bombay high court alleging that the BMC with the help of an alleged unauthorised tree authority has given permission for tree cutting. According to him details regarding tree cutting are not uploaded on BMC website which is violation of the HC order. The court has kept this matter for hearing on October 3.

According to Mr Bhathena, “We moved the high court regarding the issue of illegal grant of tree cutting permission by an illegally constituted tree authority, in complete breach of the orders of the high court.” Mr Bhathena has further alleged before the division bench of Justice Shantanu Kemkar and Justice Sarang Kotwal that such illegal orders are hidden from the public by deliberately not uploading it on the Municipal Corporation’s website.

This issue was mentioned before the court through an application and the bench posted this matter for hearing on Wednesday.

The petitioner has alleged that in April this year, the high court had directed that, for Thane and Mumbai trees, non-official members with expertise in plantation and preservation of trees and belonging to different NGOs, should be appointed in the tree authority of municipal corporation and the number of such appointed experts in the tree authority should not exceed the number of corporators. However, a tree authority has been appointed without complying with this order.

The petitioner has requested the court to stay the functioning of the tree authority pending compliance with the court’s order.