MUMBAI: The construction of the car shed for Metro Line 9 (Mira Road to Bhayander) will result in the removal of 1,406 trees, officials say. Of these, 832 will be felled and 574 transplanted. The depot’s area is 15 hectares of govt-owned land at Dongri, Bhayander-West, transferred to MMRDA by the revenue department. The Mira-Bhayander civic body has issued a public notice on the tree removal, inviting objections and suggestions.
Environmentalists have expressed concern over the ecological impact of removing so many trees in a city with sparse green cover. “Recent data indicates that air pollution in this area is higher than permissible limits. Experts warn that air quality will deteriorate because of deforestation and impact public health,” said environmentalists Dhiraj Parab.
Estimates show that over 21,000 trees have been cut since 2018 in MMR for Metro and road projects. Half of those trees were cut for Metro projects, including 6,000 for Metro 3 (Aarey-Cuffe Parade), and 1,000 each for Metro 2 (Dahisar-Bandra-Mandale), Metro 7 (Gundavali-Dahisar), and Metro 6 (Lokhandwala-Vikhroli).
‘Difficult to find depot land in MMR’
Amidst concerns raised by environmental groups on tree cutting, officials say identifying land for Metro depots in MMR is challenging due to space constraints.
The Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has issued a public notice on tree removal for the Metro 9 depot, inviting objections and suggestions. The notice urges citizens to report if any of the trees have bird nests. The notice has drawn criticism for lacking details such as the species, height and age of the trees.
Originally, the depot was planned on a 13-hectare site across Morva, Raimurdhe and Murdhe villages. But villagers opposed the project, citing the displacement of 547 families and the construction of a 100ft road through the area. This prompted officials to shift the location to Dongri on an area that is part of a govt land parcel.
