SC clears felling of first 95 trees for Mumbai’s GMLR tunnel; over 1,000 could go in total

Rohatgi countered that the site was within Film City, not Aarey Colony, and that the plea before the SC was filed as a precaution.

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the felling of 95 trees in Mumbai’s Film City for the first phase of the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project, but made it subject to strict compensatory afforestation measures.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, along with Justice K Vinod Chandran, was hearing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) plea seeking permission to proceed with the tree removal to dig a shaft for a tunnel under the project.

The court made it clear that no tree can be felled without its express permission, and directed the project proponents to submit both an expert report and a detailed afforestation plan.

‘Environment must be protected, but development needed’

While hearing the case, CJI Gavai reiterated the principle of balancing environmental protection with infrastructure growth.

“Environment has to be protected, but sustainable development also has to be permitted,” he said, noting that infrastructure is critical for the country’s progress and must be implemented with minimal ecological damage.

The court stressed that any loss to the environment must be compensated by planting multiple trees for each one cut.

Project details and scope of tree loss

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the project proponent, told the bench that 11,000 trees would be planted as compensation for the 95 to be felled in this phase. He added that the entire project could require cutting around 1,094 trees.

The 6.2-kilometre twin tunnels will connect Film City in Goregaon with Khindipada (Amar Nagar) in Mulund, aiming to reduce travel time between Mumbai’s western and eastern suburbs by nearly an hour.

According to the BMC, the trees must be removed to operate Tunnel Boring Machines and construct the launching shaft.

Aarey colony controversy surfaces

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for activists, argued that the felling site fell within the environmentally sensitive Aarey Colony. He pointed to the Supreme Court’s earlier orders restricting tree cutting in Aarey, referencing the high-profile Metro 3 carshed dispute.

Rohatgi countered that the site was within Film City, not Aarey Colony, and that the plea before the SC was filed as a precaution.

Court references past infrastructure gains

CJI Gavai cited Mumbai’s Coastal Road and Atal Setu as examples where controversial projects ultimately benefited the city.

“See Coastal Road, how much it was opposed and how it has facilitated residents… A person can come from airport to South Mumbai within 30 to 35 minutes. Earlier, it used to take 1.5 hours,” he noted.

BMC’s larger tree-cutting plan draws concern

Reports indicate that in October 2024, the BMC sought a 22-acre plot at Film City’s entrance for a casting yard and boring machine site, a plan that could require cutting around 700 trees.

The area sits next to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, home to leopards, deer, sambar, nilgai, and peacocks. Environmentalists warn that further deforestation could harm the region’s biodiversity.

Environmentalists flag poor track record

Activist D Stalin from NGO Vanshakti opposed the tree felling, writing to the BMC and the state forest department that Mumbai is “battling severe heat and pollution” and cannot afford more green cover loss.

He criticised past projects like Metro 3 for failing to fulfil afforestation promises:

“The trees of Aarey have been lost forever and all the so-called compensatory plantations are nowhere to be seen.”