The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has given permission to cut over 7,000 trees in the last three years, an RTI query has revealed.
RTI activist Anil Galgali said 3,819 trees were hacked in the year 2016 which included 1,830 trees on private land, 1,448 trees belonging to government entities, while BMC itself hacked 541 tree for different reasons including paving way for infrastructural activities.
A total of 1,303 trees were hacked in the year 2014, while 2,720 were cut in the year 2015, mentions the reply.
The reply furnished by the Superintendent of BMC's Garden Department further revealed that apart from cutting 7,842 trees in the last three years, BMC also transplanted 13,070 trees during the same period.
Besides, BMC conducted several tree plantation drives throughout the year in which it planted 49,060 saplings during the same period, mentions the reply.
In the year 2014, BMC planted 14,253 saplings, 16,157 saplings in 2015 and 18,650 were planted in the 2016, the reply said.
Galgali said the tree authority should devise a proper mechanism with people's involvement to protect the greenery of the city.
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