The High Court has stayed the process of cutting 759 trees allotted for the Dahanu road widening project in Mumbai city.
Dahanu road widening project brings municipal council and environmentalist organization face to face
The Dahanu Road Widening Project was approved by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dahan Nagar Parishad on May 23, 2025, which included permission to cut 759 trees for the road widening project.Their order was appealed to the High Court and the court has stayed this decision. The court has also given this decision in this case of granting permission in violation of the law.
This decision regarding the Dahanu road widening project has been filed before the High Court’s bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Arif Doctor, who have taken cognizance of the entire petition.During the course of this case in court, arguments were presented by lawyers from both sides on various issues.
This decision regarding the Dahanu road widening project was actually made by the Chief Executive Officer of the Municipal Council, but the Chief Executive Officer does not have the authority to make this decision unilaterally.It has also been said at this time that this has also violated the Tree Act.Under Section 3 of the Tree Act, the Tree Authority is required to have a Chairman and not less than five and not more than 15 members.The petition asks how permission was given to cut down trees when it is clearly stated and mentioned that the Chief Officer can only act as a chairman and cannot act as an authority so for this reason whole matter comes into court.
The Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority had also approved this decision of the Chief Executive Officer in July itself, hence, in this case, lawyer Nitin Gangal presented arguments on behalf of the municipality and Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority.While presenting his arguments at this time, he said that this permission has been given based on environmental protection, hence this decision and permission has been given in this regard.
In this entire case, the court has taken serious note of the matter and ordered the Chief Executive Officer and the Dahanu Taluka Environmental Protection Authority to clarify their position.Similarly, the court has also raised the question of whether the Tree Authority has the power to approve a decision taken under the Tree Act.It currently looks like there will be a showdown between environmental groups and the city council regarding this decision to cut down trees.The deforestation during road widening is also on a large scale, causing significant damage to the environment.
The number of trees to be cut during the Dahanu Road Widening Project is huge, so 700 to 750 trees will be cut down this time.Therefore, environmental organizations in the low-lying areas of the city have opposed such large-scale tree felling.A similar case had also taken place in the city earlier, and during this petition, in February 2025, the Chavan Foundation had appealed against the decision to cut down 777 trees in a similar manner through a public interest petition.At that time, the court had also stayed the cutting of these trees and the municipal council had to withdraw its decision at that time.This decision has also been cited by the petitioners in connection with the tree felling related to this project.
In this decision regarding the Dahanu Road Widening Project, the court has once again highlighted the sections under the Tree Act.The court has also clarified the decision to grant authority in this regard. In this entire case, local resident Santosh Jaiswal has appealed this decision in the High Court on behalf of the residents.