India, Oct. 28 -- A 2023 report by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay found a poor survival rate of saplings planted by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) as part of compensatory afforestation in Aarey Colony.

A three-member IIT-Bombay committee had assessed plantations across five designated sites and reported that saplings had low survival rates at all locations.

Although MMRCL had pledged to plant 20,000 trees, under compensatory afforestation norms, it was required to plant 15,065 trees: six for the launching shaft, 471 for the ramp, 12,846 for the car depot, 1,533 for the shunting neck, and 210 for the pylon termination station.

The plantations were carried out at three locations: 284 trees in a 5,000 s...