Modernisation of Byculla zoo will hit over 1,100 trees…..Linah Baliga
Mumbai: The worst fears of Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) have come true.As many as 1,100 trees will be affected due to the proposed modernization at Veer Jijamata Udyan commonly known as Byculla zoo.
According to botanist Dr Marselin Almeida,appointed by the civic body to conduct a bio-diversity mapping of the zoo,1,100 trees of the total 3,200 will fall inside the enclosure.The Grade-IIB botanical garden has as many as 266 species of trees.
Almeida has also learnt that according to BMCs modernisation plans,botanists and tree lovers will be denied access to the green zones to study plants.
The new plan doesnt permit access to parks and gardens to touch or conduct a study of plants.They will only be allowed on pathways and walkways to look at plants from a distance, he said.
Almeida said BMC has already begun construction work of an animal hospital,thus affecting the green cover.
In a salvo to the Central zoo authority last week,Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Action Committee (SRBBGAC) stated,It is worth noting that work on this temporary animal hospital has commenced without MHCCs NOC (no-objection certificate) and though the BMC officials assured us on April 15 that work had been halted,a recent letter from SRBC confirms that construction activity is continuing.This appears to be quite irregular as work is taking place in the botanical garden area,which falls squarely in the heritage area.
When contacted,Anil Anjankar,director,Byculla zoo,said,We had stopped construction activities in April,after their complaints.At present,we are only demolishing old cages and there is no question of destroying the trees or vegetation.