Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Calls grow louder to protect tree
THANE: A rare ‘Urvashi’ tree, claimed to be the only one of its kind in Thane by environmentalists, is suffering due to debris from an ongoing road widening project being dumped at its foot. The debris is dumped despite the matter being brought to the notice of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). Civic officials said that necessary instructions were being issued immediately.
The tree, called Amherstia Nobilis, has its origins in Burma and was named after the former Burmese governor’s wife. Apart from Thane, the only other Urvashi trees in Maharashtra, according to environmentalists, are found in Mumbai and Pune. The one in Thane stands near the Clariant Bus Stop in Kolshet.
According to members of the Yeoor Environmental Society (YES), road widening work was recently undertaken from the Clariant Bus Stop to the Nandibaba
Chowk in Thane, which also resulted in the felling of around 25 trees. It was during this time that Thane-based environmentalists discovered that the Urvashi tree was being littered with debris from the road widening work.
Environmental activist, Rohit Joshi, said, “While it was simply impossible to pick up the debris without construction equipment, citizens came together to clean up the area around the tree as best as they could. We also added fertilizer to the roots of the tree and created a stone boundary around it. Further, a signboard proclaiming the history of the tree was also put up at the spot.”
Local environment lovers, however, observed with alarm that the tree had stopped blooming after the debris was dumped at its roots.
Joshi added, “Environment Minister, Aditya Thackeray, recently had taken the initiative to amend the Tree Act to protect rare heritage trees. There are many rare heritage trees in the Kolshet area and environmentalists from all over the world visit them. These heritage trees need to be protected.”
The Kolshet Tree Lovers Group had also written to the TMC chief, Dr Vipin Sharma, a month ago and said that no effort towards the cause has been undertaken by the civic body. Additional municipal commissioner, Sandeep Malvi, said, “We are issuing instructions to get the debris removed immediately. We will also take steps to ensure that the rest of the work is completed without the tree being damaged.”