KMC asks agency to speed up tree-planting at Theatre Rd park
Times of India | 30 December 2025
Kolkata: Officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation parks department asked the agency entrusted to beautify McPherson Square to speed up the process of planting trees at the park to compensate for the loss of greenery, following a directive from Calcutta High Court to file an affidavit on the loss of greenery.
As TOI reported, the agency started working on planting 50 big trees and several smaller ones to compensate for the illegal felling of trees in the park at the Theatre Road-Loudon Street crossing. "We are preparing a report on our initiative to re-green the park. The agency engaged was asked to expedite the planting process before the actual beautification work gets started," said the civic official.
KMC earlier issued a show-cause notice to the agency for the cutting of trees without permission. Its scope of work was to improve the park. While relocation of trees through transplantation may have been required, civic officials clarified that no permission was sought or given to axe trees. However, the agency denied that they hacked trees without permission.
"We want to move past the allegations of trees being cut to focus on re-greening the park with various species of trees. We already planted around 2 dozen young trees that will grow around 30-40 ft. When the work on the park is completed by Jan 15, not only will it be the greenest park in the city, but it will be one of the best," said a representative of the private agency who is overseeing the plantation project.
Following the outcry by locals as well as environment activists over the hacking of trees in the name of park beautification, the civic body asked the company that designed the park makeover and implemented it to ensure that the greenery lost is adequately compensated.
"We asked the company representatives to plant around 2 dozen big trees. These young trees should be 7-8 ft tall and not saplings to ensure a higher survival rate. After the walkway is completed, smaller trees and shrubs have to be planted alongside it. Also, patches of green that turned grey will have to be made green again by planting grass," a civic official said, adding KMC will closely monitor the work at the park.
KMC's apparent lack of knowledge that trees were being felled and large patches of the park were being concretised came in for criticism from environmentalists and citizens, who pointed out that the civic body cannot abdicate its responsibility to look after the city's green wealth.