Carmichael Road Residents Move to Save Heritage Banyan Tree on Rs 170-Crore Plot
Residents on Carmichael Road in Mumbai have mounted a campaign to protect a giant heritage banyan tree standing on a one-acre plot where a residential project has been proposed, located a few hundred metres from the municipal commissioner’s bungalow.
The plot was purchased for Rs 170 crore last year from the heirs of the Gamadia family by Mah-Hill Properties, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises. Although the land was previously earmarked for a children’s park, it is listed as a residential zone in the latest development plan because it was never formally acquired by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Members of the Carmichael Road Residents Association have repeatedly approached civic authorities, including the Superintendent of Gardens and the Tree Authority, seeking an official census of the heritage trees on the site. The association has invoked Sections 8 and 20 of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, which mandates that no tree in an urban area may be felled without prior permission from the Tree Officer, regardless of land ownership.
Concerns escalated recently after residents observed truckloads of debris being dumped around the base of the banyan tree, raising fears that the dumping would choke and kill the tree. Following a letter from the association, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide confirmed that a proposal regarding the cutting or transplanting of trees obstructing the proposed residential building is under consideration by the Tree Authority Committee.
Horticultural expert Robert Fernandes, who has worked with civic authorities, noted that trees over 50 years of age qualify as heritage trees requiring legal protection. Fernandes pointed out that developers can accommodate such trees by redesigning building footprints around them.
A mature banyan tree generates approximately 274 litres of oxygen daily and supports a wide micro-ecosystem, offering nesting and shelter for birds, bats, and insects, while its root system assists in soil retention and rainwater absorption.
