‘Tackling mealy bug menace is job for civic body, not SGNP’

The Bombay high court on Wednesday was informed that planting, care and maintenance of trees anywhere in the metropolitan municipal area of Mumbai does not fall under the functions of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and hence, eradication of mealybug, which is causing the deaths of many trees was the duty of the civic body. Assistant conservator of forests Kiran Dabholkar on Wednesday filed an affidavit before the division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Amjad Syed stating that the court had sought a response from SGNP on a public interest litigation seeking steps to save rain trees, which are dying of mealybug infection.

According to the affidavit, the steps required to prevent, control, contain and eradicate any epidemic infection by plant pests in Mumbai city is totally outside the scope of functions of SGNP and also it is outside the duties assigned to any section of the forest department “also beyond the present set of available skills, as may be required for such exercise,” said the affidavit.

Taking the affidavit on record, the bench asked the BMC to file its say on the subject.

Petitioner Zoru Bhathena has claimed that since 2010, the bug has infected trees between Khar and Borivali and the BMC has not been able to identify any cause or cure, following which more than 100 trees have died.