BMC issues notice to Railways after Matunga resident highlights ‘indiscriminate’ tree felling

The Western Railway authorities have denied allegations of felling of trees

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) garden department has asked the Western Railway authorities to clarify the allegations of tree felling at the Matunga Railway Colony on Tulsi Pipe Road.

Trees felled over the year in Matunga Railway Colony and area converted into parking spaces. (Deepak Chattopadhyay)

The notice was issued by the BMC following a complaint filed by advocate and tree activist Deepak Chattopadhyay, who had alleged that around 10 trees were chopped in the residential colony and no action was taken by the railway authorities, despite repeated reminders. “Without any permission from the BMC or the railways, a few residents had hired a private contractor to cut trees and use the vacant area to park their vehicles. These incidents are commonplace,” said Chattopadhyay.

He cited that the move is a violation of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975. “The Act mandates that a proposal be submitted to the BMC garden department even before a single tree can be felled. However, no such proposal was submitted. Mumbai, a city starved of green spaces, is further losing its tree cover because of such rampant illegal activities,” alleged Chattopadhyay.

Rupesh Poojari, a BMC tree officer from G (North) ward, who had inspected the site, said he had found six to seven trees either hacked or their branches sawed off at the location cited by Chattopadhyay in his complaint. “We checked our records. However, we did not find a copy of any permission issued by our department,” he said.

Dayandev Mundhe, assistant superintendent, BMC’s garden department, said, “We issued a notice to the Western Railway authorities, seeking an explanation about the matter. If they are unable to present the permission for the felling of trees, action will be taken for the violation of the 1975 Act,” he said.

The Western Railway authorities denied allegations of the felling of trees. “We have not received any notice from the BMC. No tree felling has ever been carried out without the BMC’s permission. If a private party is involved, then it is within the BMC’s jurisdiction to take action,” said Sumit Thakur, chief public relations officer (CPRO), Western Railway.

Chattopadhyay pointed out this was not the first time that such violations had occurred in the railway colony. “Around 30 trees have been felled in the residential complex to make space for parking vehicles. There is scant regard for the environmental consequences,” he said.

A 2020 July study by Indian and Chinese institutes found a 42.5% drop in Mumbai’s green cover between 1988 and 2018. The ratio of green spaces to total geographical area had fallen from 46.7% in 1988 to 26.67% in 2018 due to rampant and unplanned developmental activities. “We need stringent regulation on arbitrary tree cutting and the formulation of a policy at the district level that encourages social forestry and urban green belts at the earliest,” said Pankaj Kumar, one of the authors of the study and an assistant professor at Delhi School of Economics (DSE).