Only One Tree Has Survived In Mumbai's Bhendi Bazaar And It Will Continue To Stand For Years To Come

While Mumbai is struggling to come to terms with its steadily depleting green cover and the ongoing damage to the city's green lung aka Sanjay Gandhi National Park, one tree stands in the middle of the overcrowded Bhendi Bazaar. 

Residents of the city are aware of the challenges that Bhendi Bazaar faces. It is a commuter's nightmare and houses several old buildings that are steadily crumbling to the ground. 

Magicbricks

A recent survey has shown that an almond tree is the only green you will spot in the 16.5 acres in South Mumbai. The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT) has conducted the survey as they implement the city's first cluster development project.  

17 towers are to replace the narrow alleys and dilapidated buildings over the next ten years. The project has been divided into 9 clusters, and the work which will be executed in phases, has commenced on two. 

Economic Times

"When we surveyed the area for the project, it turned out that we had marked only one tree. That's the only tree we have in this entire area," SBUT's chief executive officer Abbas Master told Mumbai Mirror. After the redevelopment, there will be tree-lined streets and open air gardens. Quite unthinkable in the crammed allies one sees today. 

70-year-old Dr Hatim K Bakri, who owns a 185-year-old dispensary on the Pakmodia Street says, "Earlier it was still easy to find shade. Now it is a rarity. The area has got so congested over the years that no one ever thought about how there are no trees at all." 

Wikimedia

While the team at SBUT plans to bring in much-needed green and open spaces to the area, the best news is that the almond tree  - the only one that stands at Bhendi Bazaar today - will be left intact during the project.