Mumbai: The BMC has issued at least 146 notices to road contractors across Mumbai who have damaged the tree roots while carrying out the road concretization work. “On several roads, the tree roots have been exposed and damaged while excavating the road for the concretisation work. The contractors need to follow the National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines while carrying out any work,” an officer from BMC’s Garden Department said. The action was taken in the last two to three months.
“The notices are first given by the Garden Department to the Roads Department, which has awarded the contract for road concretisation.
The Roads department then issues notices to the concerned contractors,” the officer added.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Roads department slammed a penalty of Rs 20,000 and issued a notice to a contractor named M/s G.L Constructions Pvt Ltd for damaging the tree root zone on Rajabhau Desai Marg in G-South ward (Prabhadevi). “The contractor has excavated the road and due to negligence, it has caused damage and cut the roots of the tree along the stretch. The digging is done within 1 meter radius, damaging the root zone, thus violating the NGT order,” the notice says. The notice also mentions that damaging tree roots may cause serious damage to the tree in the near future or in monsoon.
There have been several complaints that the contractors are carrying out the road concretisation work irresponsibly. Recently, work was stopped at Gulmohar road in Juhu after the tree roots were exposed and damaged while road excavation. While, a JCB caught fire in Mahim as a Mahanagar Gas Ltd pipeline broke while carrying out the road works.
Out of the 146 notices issued to the contractors for damaging tree roots while carrying out road works, the maximum 42 notices are issued in P-South ward (Goregaon), followed by 25 notices in R-South (Kandivali), 20 notices each in H-East (Bandra, Khar, Santacruz East) and K-East (Andheri, Jogeshwari, Vile Parle East) wards.
While, 15 notices are issued in K-West (Andheri, Jogeshwari, Vile Parle West) and 10 notices in D ward (Malabar Hill, Grant Road). Four notices are issued in G-North ward (Dadar, Mahim) and three in F-South (Lalbaug, Parel) and T ward (Mulund) each, among others.
The officer from the garden department also said that a notice was also issued to Tata Power for digging near the ‘tree root zone’ on E Moses Road in south Mumbai. While, BMC’s storm water department and BEST’s Electricity department were also issued one notice each for damaging tree roots in F-North ward (Sion, Matunga).
For the unversed, the BMC is carrying out a mega project of cement concretisation of roads in the city. Although the BMC aims to concretise all roads, residents from several areas have protested against excavating a well-maintained road for concretisation.
While, after the BMC was flooded with complaints caused to the public and traffic jams due to excessive road works across the city, the Municipal Commissioner has directed the contractors not to dig any new road and complete the ongoing works only.
The BMC has set a deadline of May 31, i.e, before monsoon to complete all ongoing road works.
