"Rs 2 Lakh Spent On Each Tree": Mumbai Metro Body's Revelation Sparks Row

Rs 2 lakh has been spent on planting and maintaining each of the 584 trees planted along the Metro 3 route at several places across 13 different locations in Mumbai - the startling revelation by the Mumbai metro body in response to an RTI query has sparked a controversy. However, when NDTV reached the metro car shed in Aarey - being built by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited or MMRCL - the sorry state of many trees there did not reflect the amount allegedly being spent for their maintenance. Most of the trees were withered and there were iron nails on a big tree.

Several trees were cut in the Aarey colony for constructing train ramps at the car shed project. The felling of trees in the colony, however, had been opposed by environmentalists and residents.

The Mumbai metro body said that it planted and transplanted 584 trees in the area. In the RTI reply to the query by Godfrey Pimenta of the Watchdog Foundation, the MMRCL said the total expense incurred in supply, delivery, plantation and maintenance came up to be nearly Rs 12 crore.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC - which spends nearly Rs 800 on each plant during its plantation drives - also faced allegations of overspending recently. Some organisations spend nearly Rs 200 for the plantation drive and which is why questions are now being used on the huge expenditure by the MMRCL.

The founders of the Watchdog Foundation, Godfrey Pimenta and Nicholas Almeida, are now demanding an investigation into this exorbitant expenditure.

"For the metro car shed in Aarey, permission was taken to cut 2,298 trees, then an application was submitted in which a proposal to cut 531 trees was made before the tree authority. The last proposal was for 270 trees. Under compensatory afforestation, trees were transplanted and new saplings were also planted here. But look at their condition. When I filed an RTI regarding this, they said that Rs 12 crores were spent on it," he said.

"But information about the location of the trees was not given, so RTI was filed again and it was found that Rs 12 crore was spent on 584 trees. About Rs 2 lakh five thousand was spent on each tree. But look at their condition. If maintenance was done then how did it get damaged? It's a complete fraud," he added.

It was earlier said that 5,012 trees would be affected by the project, of which 1,331 would be cut and the remaining 3,681 would be replanted in other parts of the city.

As per the terms of such contracts, the involved parties need to either transplant the affected trees or plant new trees to compensate for the cut trees.

As a rule, three saplings should be planted for cutting down one tree and these should be maintained for at least three years.