Residents oppose cutting of trees on private land in Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 28 (PTI) Local residents have come out against the chopping of trees that began on a private plot in Chandivali suburb of Mumbai, with an environment group writing to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis calling for a complete overhaul of the metropolis' tree policy.
The clearance permits felling of 45 trees and transplantation of 70 others on the private plot in Chandivali's L Ward. Permission for cutting of trees and their transplantation was granted in February 2024, but the tree-cutting teams arrived on Thursday, leaving the residents shocked, said environment group NatConnect Foundation.
The organisation's director B N Kumar immediately alerted Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, who directed the authorities to check the situation.
But the cutting resumed on Friday morning and residents were stunned to see 20-year-old giants being axed without any fresh public intimation, it said.
The organisation has written to the CM and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner seeking an immediate halt to further cutting of trees.
Local leaders echoed the concern.
"Compensatory plantation may look good on paper, but it does not compensate for the ecological loss," said Pravin Kumar Yadav.
Pamela Cheema, chairperson of the BMC-appointed Advanced Locality Management Committee, said she was deeply shocked that another green pocket was being erased.
"When will planners realise that trees in Mumbai are survival systems, not landscaping?" she asked.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)