Navi Mumbai News: 'Every Tree Matters’ Campaign Against 127 Tree Removal In Kharghar Gains Momentum Amid CIDCO Cabling Plan

Navi Mumbai, March 28: The proposed removal or transplantation of 127 trees near Utsav Chowk in Kharghar has triggered a strong citizen response, with environmental groups rallying under the #EveryTreeMatters campaign.

Campaign gathers momentum against tree removal

Led by the NatConnect Foundation, the campaign has emerged as the focal point of opposition to the underground cabling project involving MSETCL (Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited) and MSEDCL (Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited).

According to the CIDCO proposal, underground power cables are to be laid along the Utsav Chowk stretch, necessitating the removal or transplantation of 127 trees.

However, key details, including the precise alignment, the split between trees to be felled and transplanted, timelines, and compensatory plantation plans, were informed by the activist to have not been disclosed, raising concerns over transparency.

Environmental concerns raised by activists

Jyoti Nadkarni, convenor of the Kharghar Hill and Wetlands Forum, termed the proposal “outrageous, to say the least,” in her formal objection. She stressed that the trees identified are part of a long-established green cover that regulates temperature, improves air quality, and sustains biodiversity—functions that cannot be easily replaced.

She warned that felling such a large number of trees in one go could trigger ecological disruption that may not be reversible, while also setting a dangerous precedent for future infrastructure projects. Drawing on past experience, she added that transplantation and compensatory plantation have rarely delivered meaningful ecological outcomes.

Call for alternative project alignments

Calling for alternatives, Nadkarni urged authorities to rework project alignments to minimise—or entirely avoid—tree loss.

Framing the issue as one of ecological survival rather than a routine infrastructure trade-off, NatConnect has appealed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to direct agencies—including CIDCO, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), MMRDA and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)—to prioritise expanding, not reducing, green cover.

Public sentiment and ecological impact

“Trees are treated like overgrown hair—cut at will, with the reckless assumption they will grow back,” activists said, capturing the sharp public sentiment.

Environmentalists argue that the trees marked for removal are part of a mature ecosystem critical to temperature regulation, air quality improvement and urban biodiversity.

NatConnect director B N Kumar said it was “tragic” that CIDCO now appeared willing to dismantle greenery it had once consciously nurtured. “The environmental sensitivity that defined its early planning seems to have faded,” he said.

Citizen mobilisation and growing pressure

Through the #EveryTreeMatters campaign, citizens are being mobilised to file objections and push for alternative project designs that minimise or avoid tree loss. Activists have also questioned the effectiveness of transplantation and compensatory plantation, citing limited success in the past.

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With a large number of objections already received, the campaign signals a growing public push for accountability, even as the tension between infrastructure expansion and environmental preservation sharpens in Navi Mumbai.

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