On Sunday morning, about 85 residents, armed with pails of red and white paint, headed out towards the area’s surviving green spots. Within five hours, they painted 92 trees, numbered them and recorded their type and location. They plan to cover all of of Bandra’s approximately 800 trees soon.

Alarmed and upset with the number of trees being sacrificed to ‘development’ by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and builders, members of Advanced Locality Managements (ALMs) of Pali Hill, Sherley Rajan and Rizvi Complex in Bandra (W) have embarked on a variation of the Chipko Andolan. They are mapping, numbering and colouring trees in what was once Mumbai’s coolest suburb so that these are not replaced by concrete or turned into firewood and furniture.

Stephen Noronha, the tree enthusiast who initiated the drive, said, “A few months ago, I saw a huge tree being felled by a builder as it was obstructing a building he was constructing. Though I objected, the builder paid no heed. I was very hurt as I had grown up watching the tree every day and played in its shade as a child. I also realised that because of the scale of development going on in Bandra, more trees would soon bite the dust. I then decided to make other residents aware of the threat and asked them to lend their support to save Bandra’s trees.”

Noronha approached the ALMs that agreed to help. “This is just the beginning of the revolution. We will paint trees in other parts of Bandra on holidays. We will work all year round. There are more than 800 trees in Bandra and we plan to protect all of them, always,” said Noronha, who also financed the paint.

Full Story; Mumbai Mirror.

Hopefully this ‘deed’ is encouraged and followed by other Mumbaikars also.

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