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Mumbai: Over the past two months, a green hillock overlooking the sea at INS Trata in Worli was ravaged and laid bare for the construction of two 29-storey residential towers to provide accommodation to naval officers.
Advocate Y P Singh, a local resident, claimed that over 100 trees were illegally cut atop the hillock, and illegal mining as well as the drawing of groundwater are underway in violation of the coastal regulation norms. “In reply to my query under the Right to Information Act, the BMC G-South ward garden department has informed that no permission was sought for the cutting of trees,” he said.
Avinash Yadav, deputy superintendent of Gardens G-South ward, confirmed that no tree-cutting permission was sought. After the ward office received the RTI query, he said a junior officer visited the site and found heaps of soil dumped in the area. “There were no cut logs to indicate that trees were cut. We have served a notice on the defence authorities, and shall examine their reply against the Google Earth Maps and BMC Tree Census report to ascertain the number of trees at the site and how many were cut,” Yadav said.
Defence spokesperson Capt Mehul Karnik, however, said the allegation that over 100 trees were cut illegally at INS Trata is factually incorrect. “The Indian Navy is building two residential towers for its serving sailors in Mumbai. INS Trata is A1 category of defence land established by the Ministry of Defence, and due approvals were accorded as per the existing policy by the ministry of defence for the construction of the two buildings and for uprooting 73 trees,” he said, adding that double the number of trees will be planted at a suitable location.
Capt Karnik said only those trees that were in the building portion were uprooted; other trees still exist on site. Environmental and CRZ clearance were accorded for the project, he added.
Singh pointed out that as per various Supreme Court orders, no tree can be cut until permission is obtained from the Tree Authority. “The hillock is an isolated plot owned by BMC’s estate department and given to the Navy for a specified purpose. Without permission from the estate department, no construction can be carried out. In the same CTS number, the Coast Guard has taken the estate department’s permission for construction,” he said.
Singh also pointed out that as per the Development Control Regulations, there is no exemption for residential towers from seeking permission from BMC. “The exemption is only for defence operation constructions. This is not cantonment land, and there is no cantonment board which gives permissions. Further, CRZ notification bans excavation for minor minerals and dewatering, both of which are happening in a big way,” claimed Singh, adding that he will soon approach the National Green Tribunal against the illegal felling of trees.
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