Overview

• A bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran authorized the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Tree Authority to decide on cutting 95 trees for the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road tunnel.
• The court clarified that no trees may be felled without its final approval and directed BMC to submit evidence that no viable alternatives exist alongside a detailed afforestation scheme.
• BMC stressed the site lies within Mumbai’s Film City boundaries, not Aarey Colony, and filed its plea in deference to a January order barring unapproved felling in Aarey.
• The ₹14,000 crore GMLR project, having secured Stage II clearance from the MoEF&CC, is designed to slash commute times between Goregaon and Mulund by up to 50 minutes.
• Environmental groups highlighted that nearly 4,000 trees in the Aarey belt have been cut without completed compensatory planting, underscoring calls for strict safeguards.