Rapid infrastructure expansion across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has triggered significant deforestation in the Thane and Shahapur forest divisions, according to information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The data reveals large-scale diversion of forest land and the removal of tens of thousands of trees to accommodate railway lines, highways, irrigation projects and pipeline installations.
The information was accessed by activist Jeetendra Ghadge, who warned that the environmental cost of development is being overlooked. “The numbers we have uncovered through the RTI are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Ghadge. “While mega-projects are promoted as progress, the data shows systematic destruction of our natural carbon sinks. We are trading long-term climate security for short-term convenience.”
Among the projects contributing to forest loss is the Kalyan–Kasara third railway line being developed by Central Railway. For this project, 16.6846 hectares of forest land in the Shahapur division have been diverted. Out of 921 trees marked for removal, 851 have already been cut.
RTI responses from the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Shahapur, also point to forest diversion linked to the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-III), which includes the construction of third and fourth railway lines between Kalyan and Badlapur. Tree felling related to this project has also been reported in Morivali village.
The Shahapur forest division has witnessed the largest impact, particularly due to the Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway. For Package V of the expressway alone, 385.6147 hectares of forest land were diverted, with 110,765 trees proposed for felling. So far, 79,540 trees have already been cut.
Additional projects have also contributed to the decline in forest cover. The Ambyacha Pada electrification project resulted in the felling of 1,295 trees, while the Nampada Minor Irrigation Project cleared 292 trees. Gas pipeline work, including that by GAIL, led to the removal of 979 trees.
Across seven major projects in Shahapur, a total of 81,662 trees have already been felled out of the 111,442 proposed, according to RTI records.
Environmentalists say the impact extends beyond immediate tree loss. “The scale of deforestation revealed in these RTI documents is heart-breaking,” said environmentalist Rajesh Ruparel. “Planting saplings elsewhere can never replace a 50-year-old tree that sustains an entire ecosystem. If this continues, Thane and surrounding areas risk becoming an un livable concrete desert.”
With Thane already facing rising temperatures and fluctuating air quality, experts warn that continued forest diversion could weaken the region’s climate resilience. Activists are calling for stronger environmental safeguards, greater transparency and stricter monitoring of compensatory afforestation measures to ensure that development does not permanently damage the region’s ecological balance.
Source: Governance Now
