Mumbai, March 17 -- In a move aimed at strengthening environmental conservation and tree management in the city, Maharashtra's Information Technology Minister and Mumbai suburban guardian minister Ashish Shelar has announced a pilot project to conduct a comprehensive health assessment of all trees in the R-Central ward in Borivali and H-West ward in Bandra, Khar and Santacruz West using advanced technology. Shelar said, "The initiative will involve developing a technology-driven system to digitally map, monitor, and manage every tree in Mumbai's suburban areas. The system will generate detailed data about each tree, including its age, species, health condition, growth of branches, pruning requirements, and environmental benefits." As part of the project, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology will be used to create three-dimensional imaging of trees, allowing authorities to prepare accurate digital records. Each tree will be assigned a unique digital identification code containing information such as its growth pattern, carbon absorption capacity, role in reducing pollution, contribution to rainwater drainage, and other ecological benefits. To assess the internal health of trees, modern devices such as a resistograph, a minimally invasive drilling tool, will also be used. Shelar added that tree surveys in Mumbai are currently carried out mostly through manual methods, which often fail to detect internal damage. This can lead to sudden incidents of trees collapsing. Initially, the initiative will be implemented in the R-Central and H-West wards, with funding to be provided from the district development fund, Shelar added. The announcement was made following a review meeting on tree conservation held at the Mantralaya on Monday. The meeting was attended by MLA Sanjay Upadhyay, Mumbai suburban district collector Saurabh Katiyar, and other BMC officials....