August 16, 2025: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced plans to cut down eight trees and transplant four others from the Worli Engineering Hub on Dr. E Moses Road to make way for a car parking facility near Acharya Atre Metro station. The project, linked to the Metro-3 Aqua Line, has raised concerns among civic officials due to the age and ecological value of the trees.
The trees, aged between 35 and 50 years, include tropical evergreen species such as jackfruit, peepal, banyan, and ashoka. Notices issued by BMC’s Garden Cell state that the removal is necessary to construct an underground and elevated car park to address parking shortages for officials working at the hub. The parking space will also serve the Election Department during elections.
While officials acknowledge the project’s importance, many have expressed sadness over the decision. “There are no residential areas nearby, limiting public opposition, which intensifies their frustration,” a report noted. They hoped all trees could be transplanted, but admitted only four sturdy species were considered suitable. However, the high cost and uncertain survival rate of transplantation remain concerns, according to reports by Mid-Day.
The Garden Cell further clarified that two trees were already classified as “dead,” leaving six live trees marked for felling. Alongside the car park, plans also include replacing an old building near the hub with a multistorey structure, necessitating tree removal. Civic staff, though disheartened, acknowledged the project’s requirements.
Meanwhile, in Aarey Milk Colony, tree plantation drives face challenges from free-roaming buffaloes that threaten over 5,000 saplings. To safeguard these, authorities are building 4-to 6-foot chain-link fences. Activists, however, argue that stricter regulation of illegal grazing would be more effective than expensive fencing solutions.
Source: The Free Press Journal
