Navi Mumbai: Despite multiple plantation projects over the past decade, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) had no consolidated data on how many native and fruit-bearing trees survived, according to a 43-page RTI response.
The information, sought by NatConnect Foundation in Navi Mumbai, asked for ward-wise plantation data, survival status and future plans. The civic body responded with a compilation of administrative records, including work orders, approvals and expenditure statements.
Plantation works across 2016 to 2024 carried project costs ranging from a few lakhs to upwards of Rs 50-60 lakh each, indicating cumulative spending likely running into several crores, NatConnect director B N Kumar said, citing the NMMC response. The records showed plantation works were tied largely to one-year maintenance clauses, which ecologists said were inadequate for ensuring tree survival in urban conditions. They said saplings in high-stress environments required sustained, multi-year care, but the documents provided no evidence of follow-up audits or long-term monitoring once initial project obligations ended.
Kumar termed the response evasive. "We asked for survival data on native and fruit-bearing trees. What we received was a ledger of projects," he said. "There is no ward-wise account, no survival audit and no clarity on species. The response did not disclose a single consolidated figure, neither the total number of trees planted nor the total funds spent over the decade," Kumar stated. The gap reflected a deeper shift from intent to indifference.
