Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ashwini Bhide on Tuesday admitted that the civic body fell short in certain aspects of micro-level monsoon preparedness, particularly in monitoring manholes, while maintaining that road concretisation by itself cannot be held responsible for the recent increase in tree fall incidents across the city.
Responding to concerns over multiple complaints received in the past few days, Bhide said the civic body is verifying each case and working to resolve issues at the earliest.
She said the BMC has adopted a systematic approach to monsoon preparedness over the past four years, but acknowledged shortcomings in micro-level monitoring, particularly in the execution and oversight of manhole management.
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To plug these gaps, Bhide said the BMC will advance its annual monsoon preparedness exercise to January from next year, giving civic officials more time for comprehensive planning, monitoring and execution.
On allegations that large-scale road concretisation has contributed to tree collapses, Bhide said nearly 1,700 km of roads have already been concretised, making it inappropriate to conclude that the project is the sole or even the primary reason behind such incidents.
She noted that the root systems of banyan and peepal trees are highly complex, and the civic body will seek expert guidance to ensure adequate water reaches tree roots during road works.
The BMC is also working with the University of Mumbai's Life Sciences and Biology departments on scientific solutions.
According to the latest tree census, Mumbai has around 29.75 lakh roadside trees.
The commissioner said nearly half of these were pruned before the monsoon, but even trimmed trees can fall under extreme weather conditions.
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Over the criticism from the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, Bhide denied any rift, saying the administration and elected representatives remain in constant communication and are committed to improving civic services through cooperation and better coordination.
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