Mumbai: Civic body’s panel refrained from allowing tree cutting

A division bench of Justice A S Oka and Justice M S Sonak on Wednesday, however, allowed the municipal commissioner to grant permission to cut trees only in emergency situations.

| Mumbai | Published: October 25, 2018 2:32:11 am
Tree cutting, Tree authority, nature, environment, pollution, BMC, petition, Bombay high court, Zoru Bhathena Indian Express            The court was hearing a petition filed by activist Zoru Bhathena regarding illegal permissions for tree cutting. (Express Photo by Pradeep Kocharekar)

THE Bombay High Court Wednesday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Tree Authority not to take any decision on applications seeking permission for cutting of trees.

The court was hearing a petition filed by activist Zoru Bhathena regarding illegal permissions for tree cutting in a breach of High Court orders.

The petition said that the tree authority had recently sanctioned the proposal for removal of more than 25 trees.

The petition added that the Tree Authority granting permission did not include any independent expert.

A division bench of Justice A S Oka and Justice M S Sonak on Wednesday, however, allowed the municipal commissioner to grant permission to cut trees only in emergency situations.

The bench further said that after a new committee is constituted as per law, the municipality could move the court for vacating this order.