Mumbai: A public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the Bombay High Court has challenged the Thane Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) permissions to fell and transplant trees for the Thane Integral Ring Metro project, alleging that mandatory statutory procedures were bypassed.

The petition, filed by Rohit Manohar Joshi, founder-president of the Yeoor Environmental Society, challenges a June 17, 2026, resolution and permission issued on August 24 for felling 519 trees and transplanting 2,693 along the corridor between Raladevi Lake and Balkum.

Citing information obtained under the Right to Information Act, the petitioner alleges that similar approvals affecting more than 4,600 trees across Thane were granted without constituting the statutory Tree Authority required under the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975.

The plea argues that the authority must include environmental experts, alongside elected representatives and officials, as required by law and Bombay High Court guidelines. Despite the newly elected municipal body taking office earlier this year, the authority has allegedly not been constituted.

The petition also questions the adequacy of public consultation, claiming notices omitted essential details, including the trees’ species, age and precise locations. It further alleges that the proposed transplantation site near Saket-Kharegaon, adjoining the Nashik highway, was selected without soil testing or an environmental assessment.

Environmental activists have warned that large-scale tree removal could worsen urban heat, affect groundwater and reduce green cover.

The petitioner has sought directions to constitute a legally compliant Tree Authority, quash the contested approvals and impose an interim stay on tree felling and transplantation across Thane pending an independent expert assessment. The allegations are subject to judicial consideration.