MUMBAI: The BMC’s Tree Authority will review proposals concerning 3,169 trees in an upcoming meeting on Tuesday, which includes requests to fell 1,777 trees and to transplant 1,392 others for various infrastructure and redevelopment initiatives in Mumbai.
Notable proposals include the construction of an underground tunnel between Orange Gate and Marine Drive, the Dharavi redevelopment project, housing plans from IIT Bombay in Powai, and a slum rehabilitation scheme in Ghatkopar.
The most significant proposal involves the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP). Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd is seeking to clear 1,693 trees impacted by excavation for rehabilitation buildings on Sub Plot-B within Dharavi’s designated area. Inspections in May this year identified 2,006 trees on-site, with 1,693 set to be affected by the planned development. The developer plans to cut 871 trees (including seven that have already fallen) and transplant 822, with the rest retained.
The proposal notes that 24 of the trees scheduled for removal are between 50 and 85 years old, along with 25 designated as “heritage” trees (24 proposed for cutting and one for transplantation).
In compensation, the developer pledges to plant 22,904 new trees within 15 days of receiving felling approval. These saplings will be at least 6 feet tall and sourced from indigenous species. The compensatory plantation will occur over 90 acres in Chahade village, Palghar district, with the developer obtaining a no-objection certificate from the landowner.
Overall, nearly 8,000 trees might be affected throughout the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, with plans to plant around 30,000 additional trees in available open spaces across the area. The developer has also committed to maintaining these new plantations for seven years.
Another significant proposal relates to the Orange Gate-Marine Drive underground road tunnel aimed at linking the Eastern Freeway to the Coastal Road. Larsen & Toubro has requested approval to remove 66 trees affected by the revised Option-E alignment in the Marine Drive precinct. Of these, three trees are slated for removal, while 63 are proposed to be transplanted, and 18 trees will be preserved. BMC officials observed 84 trees during a joint site inspection in March, but only 66 fall within the project’s footprint.
The authority will also review a request from IIT Bombay regarding construction of residential buildings in Powai. The institute has asked for permission to affect 160 trees, of which 49 are to be felled and 111 transplanted, with 99 trees remaining untouched. One tree was found to have naturally fallen during inspections.
Additionally, a proposal concerning an SRA project in Ghatkopar (East) is being put forth by Ratan Builders for three cooperative housing societies. Following BMC’s directives to save more trees, the developer has revised their plans, now seeking permission to cut 18 trees while proposing to transplant 15 and retain 11. The initial proposal aimed for a higher number of tree removals, but modifications were mandated to minimize loss.
These proposals arise amid heightened scrutiny over tree felling associated with major infrastructure projects in Mumbai. The Tree Authority, established under the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, is tasked with determining whether tree removal is absolutely necessary and whether sufficient measures have been taken to protect or transplant trees before granting approval.
