The BMC may rope in developers to boost urban forests, not through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, but by making it mandatory to set aside half of their projects' recreational space for urban forests. As of now, it is mandatory for builders developing over 1,000 square metres of land to keep about 10 to 25 per cent of the plot for recreational grounds (RG). The civic body now wants them to develop half of this space as urban forests and make this mandatory for them to secure an Occupation Certificate. The concept was discussed in a meeting between green activists and BMC Commissioner Pravin Pardeshi on Tuesday.

The civic body had last week tweeted, "Buying a flat? We have a few questions you must ask your builder! Else the building will never get the OC, you see? #AskBeforeYouBuy". All buildings made on plot sizes above 1,000 square metres must set aside 10-25 per cent space for RG in the plot area, 50 per cent of which must be converted into Urban Forests, it had stated. The image also laid down various other provisions of compulsory Rain Water Harvesting and sewage treatment plants for developments done on a plot of over 20,000 sq m.