Zoru Bhathena gets up in the morning and scans the newpapers for news of murder. Of trees. Then, he set the wheels of law in motion to stop the atrocities.

This year alone, the Khar-resident has saved 8,000 trees from being hacked in Mumbai. In April, the Supreme Court upheld Bombay High Court's decision disallowing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from felling trees without the consent of the Tree Authority.

It was Bhathena's PIL that powered the issue all the way to the apex court. He filed the Public Interest Litigation in February, following which Bombay HC declared BMC's Tree Authority illegal and restrained the civic chief from allowing the cutting trees (apart from cases where human life or property is at risk).

The 43-year-old had challenged a recent amendment to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, which allowed municipal commissioners to allow proposals seeking to cut, remove, and transplant up to 25 trees, without sending the proposal to the concerned Tree Authority. He alleged that using this provision, swathes of land were bring cleared, divided into batches of up to 25 tree, for developmental projects such as Metro works, without consulting the Tree Authority.

According to Bhathena, the court action put on hold the slaughter of approximately 8,000 trees, including those located within Aarey Milk Colony, in October, November and December.

His PIL also compelled the court to order the Tree Authority to nominate an expert member – the body functioned only on the basis of 13 corporators and no environmentalist or arboriculturist – before resuming functioning.

"Whenever that happens, the BMC will inform the court and then we will see," the businessman says, "The aim of the Tree Authority has to be protection and preservation, and not destruction of trees."

The 2017 tree census puts the number of trees in Mumbai as 29.75 lakh (excluding those within Aarey Milk Colony and Sanjay Gandhi park), while the 2011 census of humans put the city's human population at over 12 million.

This means the city has one tree for every four persons, when the ideal ratio is one tree per person.

This year, Bhathena stood between the electric axes and the city's green lung – the Aarey Milk Colony. He also drew attention to the dismal survival rate of the replanted trees, being done in compensation for the trees cut for the upcoming Metro network.

"On an average, 1000 trees are cut in Mumbai per month in Mumbai now," sighs Bhathena, "a drop from the usual 2,000. However this a temporary dip that will last only until the new Tree Authority is formed. The destruction of mangroves in Juhu is the most recent crisis. This a never-ending battle."