Maha govt plans website to keep record of trees

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said his government has decided to introduce a website to keep a record of trees in major municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Replying to a debate on the cutting of trees in Mumbai for development works in the Legislative Assembly, Fadnavis said directives will be given for preparing a comprehensive website which will keep a record of trees - number of trees cut for of the development projects, transplantation and forestation with photographs and Geo tag.
Permission for tree cutting is given with condition of transplant and compulsory forestation. But, many times the condition is not fulfilled. The government gets several complaints in this regard, he added.

"We have tried to bring objectivity to the tree authority act. The government will seek expert opinion on transplantation where the soil testing would be done before the transplantation of trees", he said.
Shiv Sena member Sunil Prabhu claimed that not even 25 per cent of the transplanted trees have survived.
He demanded that an affidavit should be sought while transplantation of trees as to how many have been transplanted and how many survived.
Between 2010 and 2016 permissions were given by Mumbai Municipal Corporation to cut 25,000 trees. If one tree is cut, two trees have to be planted. The developer also has to plant new trees on the plot being developed.