About 30 workers came to the plot on Palm Beach Road on Sunday

NAVI MUMBAI: Shocked at the sudden cutting of over 700 trees on a controversial plot on Palm Beach road where a golf course and 17 residential towers have been proposed, locals and activists on Sunday rushed to the police and contacted civic and forest officials to stop the hacking. By late afternoon, the police officials intervened, but significant damage had already been done by then.

“On Sunday morning, over 30 workers came with motorized tree-chopping devices. When locals asked why they are cutting trees even as a case is pending in Supreme Court, we were rudely told that they had permission from Cidco,” said environmentalist Sunil Agarwal.

He said that after citizens and activists showed legal documents, the police stopped further cutting. “A large part of this 35.5 hectare project land has mangroves while sections where residential towers and a country club house are to be built has hundreds of trees. In 2018, Bombay high court put this golf course and housing project on hold. However, Cidco and a private builder moved Supreme Court against the high court order. We will now seek contempt of court proceedings in apex court,'' said Agarwal.

TOI contacted Cidco spokesperson and its environment head, Pramod Patil, for comment on Sunday, but they did not revert.

“It is shocking that the murder of trees is allowed even as a case is pending in Supreme Court... We fail to understand the urgency with which Cidco has given permissions without considering the environmental issues and impact,'' said B N Kumar, founder of NatConnect Foundation.

