Save nearly 100 Mature Trees from Chopping [New Horizon Co-op Soc/Dhoop Chaon building)
The Issue
Petition to
The Garden Department, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
The Maharashtra State Tree Authority
The Appointed Developer / Builder of New Horizon Co-op Housing Society (Dhoop Chaon)
Mumbai is losing its green lungs, one housing society at a time.
Inside the premises of New Horizon Co-op Housing Society (popularly known as the Dhoop Chaon building, CTS Nos 1365 through 1365/9), under the guise of a redevelopment project, approximately 80 to 90 mature(including an open space), 50-year-old trees—including heritage Banyan, Gulmohar, and fruit-bearing Mango trees with hundreds of birds—are on the chopping block.
The building was lovingly named Dhoop Chaon(Sun Shade) because these magnificent trees have shielded us from Mumbai’s blistering heat for half a century. Today, these trees are being treated as mere roadblocks.
Redevelopment does not have to mean deforestation.
The society is such that the architectural blueprint need not kill the trees. Globally, sustainable architecture is booming. In cities like Singapore, Berlin, and even in parts of India, luxury developments actively integrate existing nature into their courtyards, and structural footprints.
Whether you live in this society or anywhere else in Mumbai, this affects you. When the BMC silently clears these small residential green pockets alongside mega infrastructure projects, it suffocates the entire city. We cannot breathe concrete. We need development and nature to co-exist.
Why These 90 Trees Matter
Natural Air Purifiers: A single mature tree provides the cooling effect of 10 structural ACs. These trees act as a massive, natural heat-shield for the entire Lokhandwala/Four Bungalows lane, combating Mumbai's growing "urban heat island" effect.
Urban Biodiversity Hub: These trees are a thriving, irreplaceable ecosystem. They are home to hundreds of native birds, parrots, squirrels, and owls that will be permanently displaced.
The Myth of Transplantation: BMC’s own guidelines state that cutting should be a last resort and maximum trees must be retained. Tree transplantation success rates in Mumbai are abysmally low (under 20%). A chopped 50-year-old tree cannot be replaced by a sapling; it takes half a century to replicate its ecological value.
Every Green Pocket Counts: While this may look like a single residential compound, small green pockets like Dhoop Chaon are what purify the daily air for hundreds of thousands of commuters and residents in the micro-locality.
What should be done:
1. Immediate Blueprint Revision (In-Site Retention): The builder should completely revise the redevelopment layout to retain all 80–90 trees in their original positions. Integrate them creatively into the new podium, driveway, or society gardens, which is easy as per the now layout! Every tree can be saved!
2. Public Disclosure of the Tree Survey: The BMC Tree Authority must make its official inspection and survey report fully transparent and accessible to everyone before any provisional permissions are granted.
3. A Legally Binding Written Guarantee: The developer must sign a legal indemnity bond guaranteeing that no trees will be cut, damaged, or covertly poisoned during the entire construction lifecycle.
Developers routinely use the excuse that saving trees is impossible. Here is the proof that they are wrong:
The 'Tree House' Apartments (Bengaluru, India): Total environment-integrated architecture where balconies and structural pillars were curved specifically to accommodate deep-rooted, pre-existing trees.
The Niavaran Residential Complex (Tehran): A structural masterpiece where the architect mapped every single ancient tree on the plot and built the entire multi-story residential complex around the trees, creating indoor green courtyards instead of cutting them down.
The BMC has recently taken an incredibly strict stance on illegal tree tampering in housing societies, explicitly warning that unauthorized cutting, excessive pruning, or tree poisoning is a criminal offence under Section 21 of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975. (https://www.facebook.com/thepunemirror/photos/the-brihanmumbai-municipal-corporation-bmc-has-adopted-a-strict-stance-against-h/1594757522233569/
Under the law, unauthorized cutting or damaging of trees can result in criminal FIRs, heavy fines, and imprisonment for up to one year for society office bearers, contractors, and developers alike.
(https://www.facebook.com/thepunemirror/photos/the-brihanmumbai-municipal-corporation-bmc-has-adopted-a-strict-stance-against-h/1594757522233569/
“An Intentional Design Flaw for Profit Maximization."
The builder is choosing a lazy, maximum-concrete layout to maximize their profit margins, ignoring the trees!
Developers usually claim they must cut trees because they need to build a massive underground parking lot or a concrete "podium." However, Mumbai's Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR 2034) state that a certain percentage of a plot must be kept as "Open-to-Sky" recreational space where deep-rooted trees can survive.
DCPR 2034 Compliance: We demand that the developer respect Mumbai's urban planning mandates by maintaining authentic "open-to-sky" green zones rather than blanketing the entire layout in dead concrete.
============================
Lokhandwala and Four Bungalows are high-density concrete areas prone to severe flash flooding during monsoons and intense heatwaves in summer. Note that these 90 mature trees act as natural sponges that absorb thousands of litres of rainwater, preventing local waterlogging, whilst simultaneously keeping the micro-climate cooler.
We love our city and we want safe homes—but homes without trees are just concrete boxes.
Whether or not you live in this society, please sign and share this petition to save the lungs of Four Bungalows, Mumbai
From,
Residents of the society & Citizens of Mumbai
381
The Issue
Petition to
The Garden Department, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
The Maharashtra State Tree Authority
The Appointed Developer / Builder of New Horizon Co-op Housing Society (Dhoop Chaon)
Mumbai is losing its green lungs, one housing society at a time.
Inside the premises of New Horizon Co-op Housing Society (popularly known as the Dhoop Chaon building, CTS Nos 1365 through 1365/9), under the guise of a redevelopment project, approximately 80 to 90 mature(including an open space), 50-year-old trees—including heritage Banyan, Gulmohar, and fruit-bearing Mango trees with hundreds of birds—are on the chopping block.
The building was lovingly named Dhoop Chaon(Sun Shade) because these magnificent trees have shielded us from Mumbai’s blistering heat for half a century. Today, these trees are being treated as mere roadblocks.
Redevelopment does not have to mean deforestation.
The society is such that the architectural blueprint need not kill the trees. Globally, sustainable architecture is booming. In cities like Singapore, Berlin, and even in parts of India, luxury developments actively integrate existing nature into their courtyards, and structural footprints.
Whether you live in this society or anywhere else in Mumbai, this affects you. When the BMC silently clears these small residential green pockets alongside mega infrastructure projects, it suffocates the entire city. We cannot breathe concrete. We need development and nature to co-exist.
Why These 90 Trees Matter
Natural Air Purifiers: A single mature tree provides the cooling effect of 10 structural ACs. These trees act as a massive, natural heat-shield for the entire Lokhandwala/Four Bungalows lane, combating Mumbai's growing "urban heat island" effect.
Urban Biodiversity Hub: These trees are a thriving, irreplaceable ecosystem. They are home to hundreds of native birds, parrots, squirrels, and owls that will be permanently displaced.
The Myth of Transplantation: BMC’s own guidelines state that cutting should be a last resort and maximum trees must be retained. Tree transplantation success rates in Mumbai are abysmally low (under 20%). A chopped 50-year-old tree cannot be replaced by a sapling; it takes half a century to replicate its ecological value.
Every Green Pocket Counts: While this may look like a single residential compound, small green pockets like Dhoop Chaon are what purify the daily air for hundreds of thousands of commuters and residents in the micro-locality.
What should be done:
1. Immediate Blueprint Revision (In-Site Retention): The builder should completely revise the redevelopment layout to retain all 80–90 trees in their original positions. Integrate them creatively into the new podium, driveway, or society gardens, which is easy as per the now layout! Every tree can be saved!
2. Public Disclosure of the Tree Survey: The BMC Tree Authority must make its official inspection and survey report fully transparent and accessible to everyone before any provisional permissions are granted.
3. A Legally Binding Written Guarantee: The developer must sign a legal indemnity bond guaranteeing that no trees will be cut, damaged, or covertly poisoned during the entire construction lifecycle.
Developers routinely use the excuse that saving trees is impossible. Here is the proof that they are wrong:
The 'Tree House' Apartments (Bengaluru, India): Total environment-integrated architecture where balconies and structural pillars were curved specifically to accommodate deep-rooted, pre-existing trees.
The Niavaran Residential Complex (Tehran): A structural masterpiece where the architect mapped every single ancient tree on the plot and built the entire multi-story residential complex around the trees, creating indoor green courtyards instead of cutting them down.
The BMC has recently taken an incredibly strict stance on illegal tree tampering in housing societies, explicitly warning that unauthorized cutting, excessive pruning, or tree poisoning is a criminal offence under Section 21 of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975. (https://www.facebook.com/thepunemirror/photos/the-brihanmumbai-municipal-corporation-bmc-has-adopted-a-strict-stance-against-h/1594757522233569/
Under the law, unauthorized cutting or damaging of trees can result in criminal FIRs, heavy fines, and imprisonment for up to one year for society office bearers, contractors, and developers alike.
(https://www.facebook.com/thepunemirror/photos/the-brihanmumbai-municipal-corporation-bmc-has-adopted-a-strict-stance-against-h/1594757522233569/
“An Intentional Design Flaw for Profit Maximization."
The builder is choosing a lazy, maximum-concrete layout to maximize their profit margins, ignoring the trees!
Developers usually claim they must cut trees because they need to build a massive underground parking lot or a concrete "podium." However, Mumbai's Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR 2034) state that a certain percentage of a plot must be kept as "Open-to-Sky" recreational space where deep-rooted trees can survive.
DCPR 2034 Compliance: We demand that the developer respect Mumbai's urban planning mandates by maintaining authentic "open-to-sky" green zones rather than blanketing the entire layout in dead concrete.
============================
Lokhandwala and Four Bungalows are high-density concrete areas prone to severe flash flooding during monsoons and intense heatwaves in summer. Note that these 90 mature trees act as natural sponges that absorb thousands of litres of rainwater, preventing local waterlogging, whilst simultaneously keeping the micro-climate cooler.
We love our city and we want safe homes—but homes without trees are just concrete boxes.
Whether or not you live in this society, please sign and share this petition to save the lungs of Four Bungalows, Mumbai
From,
Residents of the society & Citizens of Mumbai
Petition Updates
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Petition created on 14 October 2026