NMMC Announces Green Ward Competition Across Eight Navi Mumbai Wards
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has announced a citywide 'Green Ward' competition to boost environmental conservation and transform its eight administrative wards. Mayor Sujata Patil announced the initiative during a tree plantation programme at Nisarg Udyan in Koparkhairane, after which Municipal Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde issued a formal circular inviting citizens to participate.
The competition will run from August 2026 to March 31, 2027. It aims to encourage public participation in expanding green cover, beautifying road medians and junctions, improving parks, and conserving local biodiversity. The initiative comes as Navi Mumbai secured second place among environment-friendly cities in Maharashtra under the state government’s Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan.
Ward officers and tree officers will supervise the implementation of green initiatives in their respective jurisdictions. The civic body has laid down 14 evaluation criteria to assess each ward's performance.
Key assessment parameters include innovative garden landscaping, plantation of native species to mitigate pollution, conservation of biodiversity, development of tourism-oriented gardens, and the cultivation of flowering and fruit-bearing plants in nurseries.
The evaluation will also consider citizen and student involvement through awareness programmes, school tree conservation activities, and corporate social responsibility partnerships. Routine garden maintenance, speedy resolution of complaints received on the civic grievance app, and efforts to safeguard and transplant trees affected by infrastructure projects will also be scored.
Additional eligible activities include tree rallies, seed collection drives, composting of green waste, creative repurposing of dry tree waste, and the protection of heritage trees.
At the start of the competition, each ward must compile a 'Green Profile' detailing baseline environmental conditions. Wards will track their progress through photographic documentation, including before-and-after images verified with Google Map data where required.
A final evaluation will take place during the last 15 days of the competition. A committee chaired by the Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Gardens), alongside representatives from nominated non-governmental organisations and environmental groups, will oversee the scoring process to ensure transparency.
