Trees will not be cut in Mumbai without the order of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has reprimanded the Mumbai Metro for cutting trees. It has also been asked to pay a fine of Rs 10 lakh. The Supreme Court made a strict comment and said that permission will have to be taken from the court before cutting trees in Mumbai.

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Tree Authority of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation not to allow any more cutting of trees in Mumbai's Aarey Colony without its permission. A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Arvind Kumar said that the authority can consider the applications and then seek orders from the court.

The Supreme Court gave the order in this case when the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) informed the bench that there is no proposal pending to cut more trees in the area. The court has fixed March 5 as the date for the next hearing in this case. The Supreme Court had directed the Maharashtra government to tell whether there is any proposal to cut more trees in Aarey forest?

Mumbai Metro reprimanded
The court in 2023 allowed some forest dweller communities to approach the Bombay High Court with their complaints about the felling of trees in the forest for the metro rail project. On April 17, 2023, the Supreme Court reprimanded the Mumbai Metro in the case of the car shed project.
The court said that the order to allow the felling of only 84 trees in the forest has been violated. The Supreme Court has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on it. The Supreme Court said that it was improper for MMRCL to apply to the Tree Authority for felling more than 84 trees.

In 2019, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of a letter petition addressed to the Chief Justice of India by law student Rishav Ranjan, seeking a ban on the felling of trees in the colony.

The apex court had directed MMRCL to strictly adhere to the point of not felling trees and warned of strict action in case of violation. The Supreme Court had restrained the authorities from cutting any more trees after the Solicitor General, appearing for the Maharashtra government, submitted that no more trees would be felled. The felling of trees in the colony was opposed by green activists and Aarey residents.