THANE: The Bombay High Court has directed the Thane municipal corporation to identify and submit a status report on concretisation done around trees in the city by Wednesday, officials informed Monday.
The directive came after the HC heard a PIL filed by a Thane-based activist last week who pointed out how rampant concretisation till the tree (trunk) bases was weakening the roots thereby leading to the tree to fall. The corporation told the court that they have undertaken a survey to identify such trees.
“The survey (has to) be completed within one week and the result be informed to the court,” said Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif S Doctor.
“I had approached the court after spotting that several trees in Thane were suffering due to blatant concretisation till its trunks. The corporation claimed that it has been freeing up space around the trunks. The court has directed the corporation to present a status report by July 12,” said the petitioner Rohit Joshi.
Meanwhile, the corporation said they have already started the survey and are taking steps to release trees from the concrete grip in Thane. We will also inform the court about the time required to de-concretise these trees, said a senior civic official.
It may be recalled that 252 trees in Thane city and suburbs were uprooted or suffered major damage in June itself, accounting for nearly 70% of the green cover casualties reported in the first six months of this year.
Meanwhile, municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar had recently asked the garden department and the public works department to ensure contractors keep breathing space around the tree trunk base. A Navi Mumbai based activist Ajay Marathe had also approached the then Thane commissioner a few years back seeking compliance to a NGT order that had mandated adequate soil space around trees in the city.
