Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 29: Residents of Powai and Chandivli have raised strong objections to the sanctioned cutting and transplantation of over 100 fully grown trees on plot CTS-9, near the Shimmering Heights building. Several trees have already been cut, prompting residents to warn of street protests if the activity continues.

An online petition opposing the move has gathered more than 350 signatures, with citizens also writing to municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani. Despite the outcry, permission was reportedly granted earlier to cut 45 trees and transplant 70.

Residents argue that transplantation rarely succeeds, citing failed attempts such as those in Aarey Colony, where most relocated trees did not survive. They urged the BMC to prioritise environmental protection and rising pollution concerns over development pressures.

Pravin Yadav, chairman of Shimmering Heights society, said that public intervention helped halt the cutting by Friday evening. However, he expressed concern that the process could resume since permission was issued by the Tree Authority in February 2024. “Why is the cutting happening nearly two years later? It raises serious questions,” he said.

Environmental group NatConnect Foundation has sent urgent appeals to the chief minister and municipal commissioner, demanding an overhaul of Mumbai’s tree policy and an immediate stop to all felling and transplantation in the area. The NGO described the sudden destruction of old-growth trees as “heart-wrenching and ecologically reckless.”

In its Save Powai Trees appeal, NatConnect highlighted the ecological cost, potential deterioration in AQI, and lack of public communication about the year-old clearance. “More than 30-year-old indigenous species like peepal and neem are being destroyed. If this continues, residents will take to the streets. Powai cannot afford more pollution,” said B. N. Kumar of NatConnect.

Pamela Cheema, chairperson of the BMC’s Advanced Locality Management Committee, said she was “deeply shocked” at the loss of yet another green pocket. “Planners must understand that Mumbai’s trees are essential survival infrastructure—not decorative elements,” she noted.

Efforts to reach the senior Tree Authority official for comment were unsuccessful.

NatConnect further warned that the destruction of mature trees—vital as oxygen generators, carbon sinks, and biodiversity hotspots—was especially dangerous given Mumbai’s low tree density of one tree for every four residents, far below the recommended three per person. With the city’s winter AQI often dipping into the ‘poor’ category, the group called the current felling “an AQI time bomb.”

Powai resident Manoj Samudra explained that decades-old trees provide irreplaceable ecosystem services—carbon storage, canopy cover, air purification, groundwater recharge, and wildlife support—that young saplings will take years to replicate.