Mumbai: The ongoing redevelopment of the former Cama family bungalow on Malabar Hill has made local residents fear for the old trees on the 1.3 acre plot, where a group of Jain buyers who paid Rs 105 crore for the property plan to build an apartment block.
“We saw a plan of the proposed tower block last week and it shows the new building not on the site of the bungalow but where the trees now are,’’ says Narinder Nayar, Bombay First’s chairman, who lives in a building overlooking the former Cama plot.
Since early March this year Nayar has written several letters to municipal commissioner Johny Joseph asking him to ensure the trees on the plot are protected. Joseph is the head of the city’s Tree Authority, which is administered by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s garden department. However, Nayar has as yet had no reply. Letters to the Tree Authority and to B P Pandey, principal secretary for environment, have also gone unanswered.
“These trees are 80 to 100 years old and the thought of their being chopped down breaks my heart. Why can’t the civic authorities protect this tiny remaining bit of greenery?’’ asks Nayar’s wife Dina. She added that contractors working on the plot, where demolition of the bungalow and digging work has been going on since July, say that permission has been given for all the trees to go. But a senior Tree Authority source says that no permission has yet been given. “The builders have sought permission but we will inspect the site before deciding,’’ he said.
Khushroo Santook, another local resident, says, “I hope that they don’t cut the trees there. Very few trees are left in this whole town and they should be saved at any cost.’’