4 yrs without Tree Authority, Thane activists question permissions for 10K trees

The permissions were reportedly given for projects such as the Ring Route Metro, Anand Nagar-Saket Freeway, Thane-Borivali tunnel, coastal road, mental hospital and the new Thane railway station

Thane: With Thane’s Tree Authority missing for four years, environmental and political activists have raised questions over how the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) granted permissions for cutting and transplanting around 10,000 trees for infrastructure projects across the city.

Thane, India - September -01, 2026: Trees were cut down in 2025 at Manpada on Ghodbunder Road to merge the service road with the main Ghodbunder Road., The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has been granting permission to cut and transplant trees for several infrastructure projects without the mandatory approval of its Tree Authority, which has not been constituted for the last four years. Environmentalists and political leaders have alleged that the approvals granted in the absence of the authority are illegal.,in Thane ,in Mumbai, India, on, Tuesday, September -01, 2026. ( photo by Praful Gangurde / Hindustan Times ) (Praful Gangurde)

The permissions were reportedly given for projects such as the Ring Route Metro, Anand Nagar-Saket Freeway, Thane-Borivali tunnel, coastal road, mental hospital and the new Thane railway station. Activists have alleged that the permissions were issued by the civic body’s Garden Department even though the Tree Authority, which is supposed to oversee such decisions, was not in place.

The last elected civic body completed its term in March 2022. Elections were subsequently delayed due to Covid-19 and other reasons, leaving the Tree Authority missing for the next four years. The civic elections were finally held in January 2026, but more than six months later, the authority is still not in place.

Thane environmentalist Rohit Joshi said the civic administration should constitute the authority without further delay.

Joshi told HT, “As per the rules, permission for cutting, uprooting and transplanting trees can only be granted by the Tree Authority. If the permissions are not granted by the Tree Authority, they are illegal,” he said.

Joshi added that if the authority cannot be constituted immediately, the TMC should at least appoint a tree expert or botanist to examine proposals involving trees and ensure that environmental concerns are considered.

The Tree Authority is headed by the municipal commissioner and includes corporators and nominated environmentalists or representatives of green organisations. Activists said its absence has raised concerns over who has been scrutinising proposals involving the removal or transplantation of trees.

NCP (SP) Thane president Manoj Pradhan also questioned the permissions granted over the past four years. He claimed that at least 10,000 trees had been covered by permissions for cutting or transplantation and alleged that several native and old trees had been lost in the process.

Pradhan told HT, “Thane is losing its green cover very fast, and soon we are going to face the impact on its climate. There is no authentic data or evidence from the TMC or other infrastructure implementing authorities showing how many trees they have cut, where they have been cut, and where the trees have been transplanted.”

TMC deputy mayor Krishna Patil said the delay in constituting the Tree Authority was part of a larger delay in setting up several committees and approval authorities after the civic elections.

“Without the approval of the Tree Authority, any permission to cut or transplant trees is illegal. Generally, the authority should have been formed on the same day the mayor was elected, but it has still not been constituted,” Patil told HT.