Saplings are planted just for the photo… High Court’s strict comment on the cutting of trees in Mumbai, said – it should not happen that one has to carry an oxygen cylinder.

Mumbai Mangrove Crisis: Mumbai High Court has expressed concern over the continuously decreasing area of ​​mangrove forests in the city. The court said that if the greenery continues to decrease like this, then soon the day will come when people will start carrying oxygen cylinders with them to breathe. The bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad made this comment during the hearing on a petition.

The court was hearing the petition of Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company (MSETCL). The company had sought permission to cut 847 mangrove trees to lay a 132 KV power line from Dahanu to Ambesari in Palghar district for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. The court said that the main concern is not just the cutting of mangrove trees.

‘The plants you plant start dying after some time’

The real problem is that the new plants planted in place of the cut trees should survive. You plant trees again, but do not take care of them. The plants you plant start dying after some time. You just take a picture and show that we have planted trees. After that, do not even look back to see whether those plants are alive or dead.

It should not happen that one has to carry oxygen cylinder – HC

The court said that where there are already many trees, what is the use of planting new trees? There is already a severe shortage of oxygen in Mumbai. If mangroves and green spaces continue to be destroyed like this, then the day is not far when people will carry oxygen cylinders with them to breathe. Advocate General Milind Sathe, appearing for the state government, told the court that instead of planting trees elsewhere, they would identify the degraded forest land in the same area and plant new saplings there.

He said that we will identify the damaged forest land, but it will take some time. The company said that a total of 3.35 hectares of forest land is required to lay the 13.06 kilometer long power line, which also includes 1.9656 hectares of mangrove forest.

In 2018, Mumbai HC had banned cutting of trees.

Let us tell you that in the year 2018, the Mumbai High Court had completely banned the cutting of mangrove trees without its permission. Since then, it has become mandatory to obtain court permission for harvesting mangroves in any project. The court has reserved its decision on this petition.