MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) signed 23 firms for the maintenance and upkeep of the trees in the city. The contract would cost Rs 116 crore and would see the firms trim the 29.75 lakh trees, treat them for infections, remove concrete within a 1.5 m radius around trunks and also remove dead trees ahead of the rains for the coming two years.
“The BMC has no data on the exact number of dead trees but the contractors will work on the basis of the complaints,” said Rambhau Das, deputy commissioner of the BMC’s garden department. “The estimated maintenance cost has been drafted by each ward, based on the number of trees which might need special attention.”
Out of the 29.75 lakh trees in the city, as per BMC’s 2018 census, 15.63 lakh (52 per cent) are located on private premises while 11.25 lakh are located on government premises. Apart from this, 1.85 lakh stand alongside roads and 1 lakh are within BMC gardens. The contractors would be responsible for the maintenance of all the trees of the city, irrespective of the setting.