‘Trees Are Not Utility Poles’: BJP Corporator Siddharth Sharma Targets Telecom Firms Over Cables On Trees

Mumbai, September 1, 2026: Calling out the growing practice of telecom and cable operators using trees to support Internet, Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), broadband and cable TV networks, BJP corporator Adv. Siddharth Sharma has demanded immediate action to make Mumbai’s trees “cable-free”.

Raising the issue through a point of objection at the Mumbai Tree Authority Committee meeting on Tuesday, Sharma said trees could not be treated as private infrastructure by telecom and cable companies.

He has also submitted a formal representation to the Municipal Commissioner and Chairman of the Mumbai Tree Authority seeking concrete measures to protect trees.

Cables are being tightly wrapped around tree trunks, suspended from branches or fixed to trees with nails, screws, clamps and other devices at several locations across Mumbai.

Such practices, he said, can damage tree bark, restrict natural growth, cause girdling and weaken branches, besides creating difficulties during pruning and routine maintenance.

Sharma has called for a comprehensive “Tree & Cable Audit” across Mumbai to identify cables installed on or attached to trees and establish the operators responsible for them.

The proposed audit would also verify whether operators have the required BMC permissions, including Right of Way (RoW) permissions and NOCs, while identifying cables that are damaging or potentially harmful to trees.

He has demanded that unauthorised or hazardous cables be removed or safely relocated and that strict action be taken against operators repeatedly violating regulations.

30-Day Deadline For Action Report

Sharma has also sought directions to the concerned departments to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within 30 days or before the next Mumbai Tree Authority meeting, whichever is earlier.

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The report, he said, should specify the number of trees surveyed, the number found with cables, the number of cables removed or relocated and action taken against the concerned telecom and cable operators.

Drawing a parallel with the BMC’s ‘Vruksha Sanjeevani Abhiyan’, Sharma said the continued use of trees as infrastructure supports undermined the city’s tree conservation efforts.

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