BMC plans to cut 700 trees at Film City for Mulund-Goregaon tunnel

BMC plans to clear 700 trees for a casting yard and tunnel project at Film City, sparking environmental concerns due to wildlife habitat disruption.

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is eyeing a 22-acre plot at the entrance of Film City, Goregaon, to set up a casting yard and a spot to insert the boring machine for the tunnel it has planned to construct between Mulund and Goregaon. In order to facilitate the project, the civic body plans to cut around 700 trees. Notices have already been put on most trees.

In order to facilitate the project, the civic body plans to cut around 700 trees. (Photo by Satish Bate/Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT Photo) (Representaional Image)

The Film City is located next to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), a haven for wildlife including leopards, deer, sambar and nilgai. Peacocks and leopards are often found wandering into Film City.

Assistant engineer Ashok Mali, who is in-charge of the project, said, “We want to launch the shaft from there and have asked for land from Film City. We are planning to remove 700 trees. The decision will be taken by the tree authority. The trees will either be transplanted or removed.”

Swati Mhase-Patil, managing director of Film City confirmed that the BMC has asked for a land parcel, but they are yet to arrive at a decision on it.

Environmentalist D Stalin of NGO Vanshakti has opposed the move to cut trees, and expressed his view in a letter to BMC and the state forest department.

He noted in the letter: “We find it deeply disturbing that every day your office (BMC) is doling out permissions to cut trees all over the city of Mumbai. There is absolutely nothing on ground to show as compensatory afforestation. Mumbai is battling severe heat and pollution. Instead of conserving the tree cover, you are facilitating more and more cutting of trees.’’

He added, “The Metro 3 project’s proponent MMRCL has failed to compensate for the loss of trees and backtracked on all promises to restore the tree cover at major stations. In fact, they have now proposed to commercially exploit the open space created for the Vidhan Bhavan Station. The trees of Aarey have been lost for ever and all the so-called compensatory plantations are nowhere to be seen.”

Stalin underscored that Film city falls in the eco sensitive zone (ESZ) of SGNP. Records show that Film City has been illegally occupying over 51 acres of forest land and has refused to hand over the land back to the forest department.

Earlier, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had planned a link road from Goregaon to Mulund, cutting through SGNP. Eventually, a 6.3 kilometer tunnel was planned connecting Film City and Khindipada in Bhandup; the task was handed over to BMC.

Goregaon–Mulund Link Road’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) and alignment options were prepared by PADECO India. The project’s foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 13, 2024.

The project’s deadline is October 2028 – it is estimated to cut down travel time between Mulund and Goregaon from over an hour to 20 mins. This is the second tunnel project under SGNP after the 11.84 kilometer Thane-Borivali, whose bhoomi poojan was done by the prime minister on Saturday.