Several trees hacked in the name of pruning, civic body hauls up MSEDCL

Navi Mumbai: Vashi, the oldest node in the city, was in news for all the wrong reasons on Saturday. Several trees in the green suburb of sector 29 were indiscriminately chopped in the name of pruning. The civic body, which also has a patchy record on tree pruning activities within its jurisdiction in the past, trained its guns on MSEDCL.
MSEDCL has been caught on the wrong foot for brutalising the tree top and cutting branches of several fruit-bearing trees like coconut and almond besides a giant peepul tree among others along the main road in sector 29, Vashi (see box).
The fruit bearing trees are at real risk during the annual monsoon exercise during the monsoon in the name of pruning both by the NMMC and MSEDCL because branches are cut mercilessly without reason that also rob birds of their nests, said green activists.
Several trees were hacked unscientifically under the pretext of trimming trees under high tension/overhead wires.
Abasaheb Ranavare, a noted environmentalist said, “The trees which should have been pruned have not been trimmed because the wires are on the other side.”
NMMC officials said that the MSEDCL engineer concerned for the destruction of the trees should be booked under the Maharashtra Trees Act.
MSEDCL has the right to trim trees under the wires, but they are required to trim and not be hacked the way it has been done, said NMMC city engineer, Mohan Dagaonkar. “An inquiry and follow-up action is required, ’’ he added.
Vashi superintendent engineer (MSEDCL), C B Mankar said, “I have already instituted an inquiry and will take action after the investigation so that it does not happen again.”
B N Birajdar, an advocate and empanelled on the civic body to take up cases said, “Conviction for illegally cutting a tree invites one year imprisonment and fine of Rs 1,000 under the Maharashtra Trees Act.”