17 September,2026 07:35 AM IST | Mumbai | Ritika Gondhalekar
When developers buy land and need to remove trees to make way for construction, they must transplant the same number of trees they remove. Representation Pic/Atul Kamble
What is the minimum value of a tree that may have taken decades to grow? According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's documented fee structure, the answer is Rs 10,000 - peanuts for huge-profit-making developers. And that has proven to be one of the biggest loopholes in the tree conservation process, especially at a time when almost the entire city is under construction.
"As per the set rules, when developers buy land and need to remove trees to make way for construction, they are required to replant or transplant the same number of trees that are removed.
[popcorn number="Rs 25,000" desc="Maximum deposit for transplanting a tree" class="Default"]
When developers buy land and need to remove trees to make way for construction, they must transplant the same number of trees they remove. Representation Pics/Atul Kamble
An amount starting from Rs 10,000 per tree that can go up to Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per tree, depending on the type, age, and size of the tree, is required to be deposited with the BMC at each ward level. The money is refunded once the required replantation or transplantation is completed," said an official from the BMC's garden department. However, BMC's own records show that the amounts being forfeited by the developers are far from insignificant.
[popcorn number="Rs 6000" desc="Deposit for cutting a tree" class="Default"]
Jeetendra Ghadge
Data received via a fresh RTI reply obtained from the garden department by founder of the Whistleblower's Foundation, activist Jeetendra Ghadge, shows that Rs 4.25 crore in tree-related deposits was forfeited between 2022 and May 20, 2026 across just six civic wards of the city. "Imagine what the numbers will be if we consider all the wards. While we had demanded data for all wards, only those of six had been provided. The BMC records prescribe a Rs 10,000 security deposit per tree for transplantation, while the deposit for tree cutting is Rs 6000 per tree," said Ghadge.
On paper, the system appears straightforward: remove a tree, replace it. But environmentalists and activists are now questioning what happens when the alternative is simply to let the deposit go. "A typical plot may have only a handful of trees. Even if four trees are removed, the deposit would work out to a maximum of roughly R1 lakh - an amount that may not act as a significant deterrent in a large development project. A mature tree is not an object that can be replaced overnight. It takes years - and often decades - to develop a substantial canopy and provide the ecological benefits associated with a mature urban tree. Its removal can mean the loss of shade, cooling, carbon absorption, storm-water interception and habitat. Developers are getting away by paying R10,000 per tree; the BMC should stop this deposit system and force the developers to make sure that they plant and care for the transplanted tree," said Ghadge.
"The bigger concern is what happens to the trees. In the past, there have been concerns over trees being cut within Mumbai's limits and compensatory plantation being carried out outside the city. Now, if developers can effectively choose to forfeit the deposit instead of completing the mandated replacement, even that compensatory measure risks becoming meaningless," said environmentalist Adityanath Das.
Dr Nagesh Tekale, Tree expert and conservationist
âA tree that has stood on a Mumbai plot for decades cannot simply be replaced by money deposited with the civic body. Nor can a sapling planted elsewhere immediately compensate for the loss of a mature tree that provided shade, absorbed pollutants and helped regulate the city's increasingly harsh urban environment. Increasing the deposit amount and charging high monetary penalties can be quick and immediate solutions, but, ideally, this should be the last resort.
Tree deposit forfeitures from 2020 to May 20, 2026. Source: Response to Jitendra Ghadge's RTI application
A more productive way of handling this situation is adopting something that's done in Bali. They have established land parcels where all cut trees are transplanted/replanted. And today, that has become a tourist attraction. This can help in preserving the green cover and prove to be a mode of income. Also, at such spots, information can be imparted on how to scientifically transplant/replant a tree. Also, developing such land parcels should be made a mandate under the CSR policy for each developer'
