5 transplanted trees dead

Surprisingly, MMRC has gone ahead with the transplantation process with local tree supervisors even though Leong is not present.

“The tree expert has not come so the transplantation is going on in the local manner. The branches and leaves of all the trees are cut which is not the way transplantation is done as per international norms. A tree needs some branches and leaves to survive and the process is supervised by local tree officers who themselves are experimenting this for the first time,” Zoru Bhathena, an activist who visited a transplantation site on Thursday said.

A senior official of MMRC said, “The tree expert will come and will monitor the whole process.” But the corporation has no response to a query as to when the expert would come. The MMRC submitted a proposal letter to the Bombay High Court in March on appointment of the tree expert, saying MMRCL will deploy the “Tree Surgeon” and will pay for his accommodation costing Rs 10.80 lakhs and international air trips with a ceiling of Rs 1.20 lakhs.

At the Aarey Colony-transplantation site, the activists noticed that out of the 50 trees that were transplanted, around four to five trees are already dead. “The trees are transplanted from South Mumbai area to Aarey, therefore utmost care should have bee taken. If they have appointed a tree expert where is he?” Bhathena queried.