Fearing a notice from the National Green Tribunal, the Navi Mumbai
Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has removed concrete structures within the
one-metre radius of 4,000 trees on footpaths in eight nodes

Recorders
from the city engineering department said as of April 28, around 4,000
trees between Vashi and Airoli were deconcretised. Concrete structures
around trees in other nodes will be removed within 10 days.

Violation of NGT rules

Mohan
Dagaonkar, City Engineer NMMC, “As National Green Tribunal rules
prohibit construction within the one-metre radius of trees, we have
started deconcretising trees on footpaths. The officials concerned in
each ward have been asked to submit reports on completion of work. We
have also left one-metre space around new saplings planted on stretches
laid with paver blocks.” NGT guidelines state that a minimum area of
1.25 m x 1.25 m around the trees should not be cemented and roads should
not be widened till the trunks of trees. Roots of trees planted on
asphalted roads die gradually and increases the chances of trees
toppling during a storm.

Arati Chauhan, a green activist from
Nerul whose online petition drawing attention to the decreasing green
cover in the city has been signed by 590 people, said, “It is heartening
to see deconcretisation work has begun. Trees planted on roads are
surrounded by tar and they should always be deconcretised.”