Convert BSNL site in Deonar into forest, residents tell CM

Petition launched seeking conversion of 45-acre plot into a 'green lung' amid growing air pollution

- Aditi Shekar

Residents of Chembur, one of Mumbai's most-polluted neighbourhoods, are holding their breath as they wait to see whether civic and government authorities will back their proposal for a new green lung.

Chembur and neighbouring Deonar have consistently recorded “poor” to “very poor” AQI levels this year. Both these eastern suburbs house factories, various industries including the RCF refinery complex, and the Deonar garbage dumping yard.

Now residents believe they have found a viable solution: converting a 45-acre, defunct BSNL telecom factory site in Deonar into an urban forest.

“The central suburbs of Mumbai are in dire need of such green spaces. Converting this defunct land into a tree-filled park would act as a vital tool in combating urban pollution,” reads a public petition that drew 4,600 signatures in just six days.