A heated debate over the future of Mumbai’s green cover unfolded at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Tree Authority meeting on Friday, as officials reviewed proposals involving the cutting and transplantation of hundreds of trees for two major infrastructure projects. Members across party lines called for compensatory plantation to be carried out within city limits rather than in neighbouring districts, arguing that the current practice undermines efforts to preserve Mumbai’s shrinking green spaces.
Among the proposals under consideration was the first phase of the Motilal Nagar cluster redevelopment project in Goregaon (West), one of the city’s largest urban redevelopment initiatives. The project seeks permission to remove 89 trees and transplant an additional 131 trees to facilitate construction activities.
Another major proposal came from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which requested approval to cut down 320 trees and relocate 386 others for the planned extension of the Eastern Freeway from Chheda Nagar to Anand Nagar in Thane.
The scale of the proposed tree removal and transplantation sparked concern among several members of the Tree Authority, who questioned whether the environmental costs of these projects were being adequately addressed.
Hetal Gala, a Tree Authority member and chairman of the civic gardens and markets committee, stressed that compensatory plantations should take place within Mumbai itself. He suggested that the civic body identify and map large open spaces across the city where replacement trees can be planted to maintain local ecological balance.
Echoing similar concerns, BJP leader Ganesh Khankar proposed that available spaces beneath flyovers, Metro stations, and other urban infrastructure be utilized for compensatory plantation rather than relying on locations outside Mumbai such as Bhiwandi, Palghar, and Panvel.
Opposition members from Shiv Sena (UBT) also raised objections, particularly regarding the Eastern Freeway extension project. Former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar argued that authorities should explore advanced transplantation techniques used internationally, which allow mature trees to be relocated with their root systems intact instead of being cut down.
Pednekar also criticised the decision-making process, remarking that if approvals were predetermined by the ruling administration, opposition members need not attend meetings in person and could simply be consulted over the phone.
The discussion highlighted a growing concern among civic representatives about balancing infrastructure development with environmental conservation. As Mumbai continues to expand and modernise, the debate over where and how compensatory plantations should be carried out is becoming increasingly central to the city’s urban planning and sustainability agenda.
With major redevelopment and transport projects moving forward, environmental advocates and civic leaders are now pushing for policies that ensure replacement plantations contribute directly to preserving Mumbai’s green cover rather than shifting ecological compensation to areas beyond the city’s boundaries.
