Mumbai: A day after Hindustan Times reported about the plan to axe nearly 10,000 trees for the metro 9 car shed in Uttan, based on a public notice issued by the Mira Bhaindar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) claimed the actual number of trees to be felled was less than 4,000. On Thursday, officials from the planning authority said the proposal for tree-cutting at Uttan was submitted to the MBMC in two phases, covering 2,500 and 9,900 trees respectively, of which only 3,716 trees would be hacked while the remaining would either the transplanted or left untouched.
The MBMC notice dated March 12, on which the HT report was based, invited suggestions and objections from citizens within seven days regarding a plan to axe 9,900 trees for the car depot at Uttan. The notice, issued in Marathi, said the trees were “an obstruction” in the construction of the depot.
On Thursday, MMRDA officials said the first application for tree-felling covering 2,500 trees was submitted to MBMC in October 2024, while the second application covering 9,900 trees was made in February 2025. The application was moved in two parts owing to limitations in access to 59.65-hectare plot earmarked for the car depot, they added.
“First, MMRDA appointed a contractor for preliminary tasks such as land survey and tree assessment. Once full access to the depot area was obtained, a second-phase study was conducted. Thus, two applications were made,” said an official.
As per data shared by MMRDA, out of 2,500 trees covered in the first application, 832 would be hacked, 574 would be transplanted and 1,094 would remain untouched, whereas out of 9,900 trees under the second application, 2,884 would be hacked and 7,016 would be transplanted. Taken together, a total of 3,716 trees would be axed, 7,590 would be transplanted and 1,094 would be retained.
“We will also be planting approximately 25,000 trees in the Mira Bhaindar region as part of compensatory afforestation, apart from allocating funds for their upkeep,” said the MMRDA officer.