Mumbai, Sept. 21 -- To compensate for the thousands of mangrove trees that will be axed to accommodate the Versova-Bhayandar Sea Link (VBSL), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to acquire a 15 acre land in Eksar Borivali to cultivate mangrove nurseries. The land has been offered to the BMC at a mere Rs.1 per year, and the mangrove saplings nurtured on it will later be replanted in Bhayandar and around the 22-km sea link. On Saturday, the BMC put out a notice calling for objections or claims on the 84 acre land offered by M/s Dynamics Clubs and Resorts Pvt Ltd for the plantations. Individuals or companies staking a claim over the land have been asked to respond within 15 days. As per an official of the BMC's bridges department, 9,000 mangrove trees will be cut during the VBSL's construction since they come in the way of the road's piers. Another 50,000 trees fall in the shadow areas of the sea link. The official said, "To make up for this, the BMC will be replanting mangroves at a ratio of 1:3, three trees for each one axed down or affected. This is the first time the BMC is undertaking such a proactive step to replant mangroves in huge numbers." While obtaining permissions to construct the VBSL, the BMC had promised the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MOEFCC) that it would divert 103.6554 ha of mangrove forest in the VBSL's path. In compensation, the civic body had promised to plant 137,025 mangrove saplings in a 31 hectare area in Bhayandar, along with tree plantations on a 103.70 hectare of non forest land in Chandrapur. While seeking permissions for the construction, the civic body had informed the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) that over 60,000 mangrove trees would be affected by the proposed road, of which around 9,000 would be axed. In response the MCZMA had instructed the BMC to begin a mangrove densification project even before the road's construction starts. "It is recommended that by the time the project is commissioned, the newly planted mangroves should have grown substantially. Additionally, the BMC should allocate suitable land near the project site and provide the necessary funds to the Mangrove Cell as part of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP)." Once the BMC rents the land it will hand it over to the Mangrove Cell for an estimated five years. From the 84 acres offered to the civic body, it will choose 15 acres which suit the conditions required to grow mangroves and begin plantations. A civic official said, "The BMC will need over 130,000 mangrove saplings, but we also have to keep in mind the survival rate (of the plants), so more will be planted." The official added that since the stretch of land in Eksar is along the same coast as the VBSL, the salinity and other conditions of the soil will match that of the axed mangroves, which should help the saplings survive once they are transplanted in Bhayandar and around the new sea link. To grow the mangrove saplings, the BMC had put out an Expression of Interest calling for private land where it could cultivate mangrove nurseries. The owners of the plot in Eksar were the only respondents, following which the Forest Department carried out checks if the land was suitable for the purpose....