Mumbai’s civic body has proposed felling 695 trees and transplanting another 666 for Phase IV of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, while inviting citizens to submit objections and suggestions within seven days of the public notice being published.
The BMC’s proposal covers 1,524 trees located along or near the project alignment. A civic official told the Times of India that 695 trees would require felling and 666 would need to be transplanted. The remaining trees are in the project’s influence zone and may not be directly affected, but have been included as a precautionary measure.
GMLR Phase IV will run from the Nahur railway overbridge over the existing Eastern Express Highway towards Airoli. The proposal was submitted by the executive engineer of the BMC’s GMLR bridge department, and the public notice was issued under Section 8(f) of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, as amended up to January 2025.
Officials told the newspaper that most of the affected trees are subabul trees. Citizens have seven days from publication of the notice to submit their objections and suggestions as part of the statutory process. The input period places the tree proposal alongside the wider construction programme for a road link intended to improve east-west connectivity across Mumbai.
The environmental implications have drawn concern from Watchdog Foundation, which described the proposed felling and transplantation of such a large number of trees as deeply concerning. In a letter to the BMC, the NGO said the loss of hundreds of trees could affect biodiversity, air quality, urban temperatures and the quality of life of Mumbai residents.
The tree proposal comes as work continues on the wider Goregaon-Mulund Link Road project. Excavation for its twin tunnels beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park has progressed by 183 metres, according to officials. The second tunnel boring machine, named Vihar, has completed its site acceptance test and is moving closer to beginning excavation.
The twin tunnels are planned to provide a direct east-west connection between Goregaon and Mulund. The link is intended to reduce reliance on existing north-south routes and the longer road journey around the northern edge of the city. The BMC has set a target completion date of February 2029 for the project.
The public notice now creates a formal decision point for the affected trees before the project advances through the relevant implementation stages. The BMC’s next step is to receive and consider objections and suggestions submitted during the seven-day window.
