Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 1: Following the Supreme Court’s sharp criticism of the Maharashtra government for its “gross negligence” in compensatory afforestation, a collective of environmentalists, activists, and concerned citizens led by Advocate Niranjan Deshpande has urged the state to urgently amend its outdated Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975.

The group, in a letter addressed to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Environment Minister Deepak Kesarkar, called for an immediate and comprehensive overhaul of the Act, arguing that it has failed to prevent rampant tree-cutting in urban areas.

“The law meant to protect urban trees has failed in its objective,” the letter states, adding that several loopholes allow tree felling under other legislations like the Nagar Panchayat Act and the Highways Act, which dilute the powers of the Tree Authority and render the Act ineffective.

Advocate Deshpande alleged that even government departments are encroaching upon trees under the guise of beautification drives. “Lighting fixtures and advertisement boards fixed on trees during festivals not only obstruct heritage views but also damage the trees themselves. Such negligence must be penalised,” he said.

The six-page letter, endorsed by citizens from Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Thane, and Kolhapur, has sought stronger penal provisions under Article 246(2) of the Constitution and amendments to the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the 1975 Tree Act to ensure stricter enforcement and accountability.

The appeal comes amid growing public anger over the state’s deteriorating green cover, especially in Mumbai, where large-scale infrastructure projects have led to extensive tree loss.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court warned the state that all existing permissions for tree felling in key city projects — including the Mumbai Metro and the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) — could be revoked if corrective measures were not implemented promptly.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Bhushan R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran expressed concern after a report revealed that only 50% of the 20,460 saplings planted under the compensatory afforestation plan for the Mumbai Metro project had survived.

The court’s remarks came while hearing a plea from the BMC Tree Authority, which sought permission to cut down 1,134 trees for the GMLR project connecting Film City in Goregaon with Khindipada in Mulund through twin tunnels spanning 6.2 km.

As environmentalists push for legislative reform and judicial scrutiny intensifies, the Maharashtra government now faces the dual challenge of balancing development with its commitment to safeguard the state’s fast-depleting urban green cover.