Silent Memorial Service,
9.00-9.15 a m
Sunday, March 25
Idea is to gather at the spot where three coconut trees were felled by Mantri's to make way for car-park slots (sold by developers). That Mantri's have marketed much of the open space into car-park slots (making Rs,1.75 lakhs per slot) is quite another matter.
Point is, they could have spared the existing trees. In fact, the Mantri project team had initially left untouched the three coconut trees as they were leveling the space for covering it with paver-blocks. In fact, we represented through this blog that the space behind the row of coconut trees be earmarked for 'community-planting'.
When the plea was ignored we suggested they leave at least foot-wide breathing space around the trees for their survival. Mantri project team has since felled the trees, citing a ruling by EB staff, as if theirs was the last word. Never mind the norms and tree-protection laws. Mantri's may have their own reasons. But did they take residents (ad hoc committee) into confidence?
Now that the damage has been done, Mantri's should compensate for the loss by planting some trees, elsewhere on Mantri complex. Akshaya builders plan to plant a tree for every flat they build this year. What's more, they plant 10 trees on the public space around every housing project they develop. If Mantri's have any such greening plan, they haven't publicized it. My issue is, they don't even respond to residents' plea, for some space to be earmarked for residents community planting programme.
A memorial service is our way to convey a message that residents at Mantri Synergy care for trees; and they cannot be taken for granted by PropCare/project team.Let us gather at the spot where they felled trees, to demonstrate our solidarity against Mantri's arbitrary action; and to impress on them the need for compensatory tree-planting.
No speeches, just meeting in silence, for 15 minutes, at 9 a m, Sunday, March 25. Why waste words when we can make our silence speak, with solidarity ?
(Would appreciate if you leave a comment to this post, conveying your participation.)
We will be there.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteWhile I cannot participate in person (as I am not in country right now), I would still try to nominate one person from my family to be present on that day on said premise. Cutting trees to make way for additional parking slot(s) is simply too much. We have to also understand whether the Ad-Hoc committee either knew it before or they were kept in dark.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mr.Mohan. I don't think ad hoc committee had a clue.
DeleteI am not sure whether I'll be able to join the meeting-however I support the cause whole-heartedly. May be we can ask Mantri people to clean up the mess just beside our boundary walls (where some of the temporary labours also live in make-shift dwellings in utter unhygienic surroundings!) and plant some trees there.It will be better if we send them a mail with several residents' signatures requesting the same. It seems the pleas made here in this blog falls on deaf ears!
ReplyDeleteThe space you refer to doesn't belong to Mantri's. They rented it from the next-door farm owner.
DeleteOh I wasn't aware of that. However, we can still send them a mail informing about the cutting-down of the coconut trees and ask them to plant few more within our boundary itself.
DeleteI don't think we need bother about Mantri project team much longer. We can plant (I would like it to be, along the main driveway), if we have the support of the Association.
DeleteIf Mantri's project people take the initiative (to do compensatory planting ) before they exit, we would wish them well, at Chromepet!
Will be there for sure.
ReplyDeleteI know I can count on you, Mr Pandey; and quite a few others.
ReplyDelete