World environment day...in a city that loves the axe effect .

The other day i woke up to reading a realy disturbing article in the times of india which stated theres 1 tree for every 6 people in our city... what are we thinking..ist it high time we do something about it...We live in this concrete maze and land sharks and insensitive co oprate builders have destroyed the green cover .Our maximum city has lost over 25000 tree in the new decade an an incompetent/impotent tree authority( so called protectors of our green cover)and the utterly corrupt BMC have completely forgotten their duties towards these trees.. Civic data shows that the Tree Authority Committee, chaired by the municipal commissioner, while giving the permission, ordered the transplant of only 7,420 trees. The trees were chopped to make way for housing and other infrastructure projects.

According to the latest tree census, conducted in 2008, Mumbai has close to 20 lakh trees. That’s one tree for every 6.24 residents. New York, on the other hand, has three trees per person.

More than 25,000 trees uprooted to make way for developmental projects have not been replanted. This is because those who uproot the trees can't be bothered about replanting them, and those who are supposed to ensure that this happens do little by way of follow-up action.

The rules may appear to be tree-friendly but in fact are not. According to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Preservation of Trees Act, when permission for removal of trees is granted, the applicant has to plant three trees of the same or suitable species within 30 days from the date on which the tree is felled, or the time given by the tree officer, and must deposit at least Rs 2,000 for each tree felled.

The amount, which can even go up to Rs 5,000 depending on the species, is refunded within two years if the tree is deemed to be growing satisfactorily.

Data obtained under the Right to Information Act (RTI) revealed that the Tree Authority had collected Rs 9,24,19,000 for granting permission for removal of trees up to March 2006. Information obtained under the RTI Act shows the Tree Authority has collected over Rs 9 crore by giving permission for cutting of trees up to 2006. It means well over 25,000 trees have either not been planted or have not survived.

Almost every evening driving in the by Versova i see the rampant destroying of the marsh lands a beautiful marsh next to the 4 bungalows has turned into an ugly garment exhibition center and in an identical case in the very same area opp the gurudwara the marshes have given way to a metro station and a housing complex feel so hapless and sad that i cant do absolutely anything about it.

iv been flooded by orders for plants for tree plantation drives co-prates such as the zee group,tanishq,LG,CMD,CMS. Have taken keen interest to procure natives/ flowering/fruiting trees to hold massive tree plantation drives across our city .I also cot calls from a prominent event managment company who wanted to conduct a cheap tree plantation drive by planting tulsi and other 2 RS plants ....ANY PLANTS...id rather starve than do such moronic work.
COLLECT YOUR FREE TREE SAMPLES: We at VRIKSHA NURSERY are giving away free tree saplings and urge every1 to please specify the soil/sunlight conditions before collection the saplings so we can give you the perfect var suited to your place.If you live in a society you can collect 2 tree saplings and school/college students get 5 saplings each come along guys its time to do your bit for the environment...