Navi Mumbai: The proposed tunnel road on Palm Beach Road resulting in axing and transplantation of 440 trees is only intended to benefit the shops on the around 1 km long stretch, locals and activists allege. The trees between Palm Beach Road and the service road on this stretch serve as a green belt providing oxygen.The tunnel road project will open access to both carriageways. The recently opened Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to further clog the Palm Beach Road that joins the Sion-Panvel highway barely a km away from the proposed site. A large number of vehicles will hit this road. The tunnel road project is opposed by joggers who do not want any harm to the 34 varieties of trees. However, traffic can be better managed by freeing of the service road space illegally usurped by the four-wheelers through taking action, they claim. Sanapada resident V Krishnan claims, “Around 150 vehicles are parked on the service road causing traffic jams.” The commercial units remain invisible to the Palm Beach Road users due to the green belt. The shop owners and commercial establishments are exerting pressure on the civic body authorities by pressing for the tunnel road project while attributing the issue to traffic snarls. Activist Shrikant Patki alleged, “The trees are falling prey to the interest of the shop owners and the service road should be freed from illegal parking.”
