No more Chemburs: How can Indian cities ensure their trees do not ‘turn against’ their people

Published 14 July 2026 · local

All of these could have been avoided. The thud of a battered, old peepal tree on a school van in Chembur, Mumbai, on June 30

All of these could have been avoided. The thud of a battered, old peepal tree on a school van in Chembur, Mumbai, on June 30. A life stuck down in its prime, tragically ended ushering the parents of the victim into countless nights spent sleepless with the sheets soaked in tears. Children rushed to the hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The inquiry that followed reached its denouement on July 14, absolving Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Garden Department and Roads Department of blame; and finding the contractor and consultancy firm derelict of duty. Also Read | Chembur tree-fall incident: Clean chit to Garden and Roads Department, Contactors to be penalised All of these could have been avoided with a dose of proactiveness. Chembur could have kept it boring, its life beating to a predictable but safe pattern. Those children could have reached school and home safely, again and again. Considerable newsprint and bytes could have been saved. There could be a lesson, a bitter lesson for other Indian metros from Chembur. The green committee in Chennai shackled by ground realities Tree Protection Act is in force in some Indian States. Within this Act exist provisions for people to be protected from some trees, the diseased one, the one rendered “weak in the knees” by digging for infrastructural work. But Tamil Nadu lacks a Tree Protection Act: the State has enacted Acts to protect trees in hill areas and forests, but there is no sweeping Act that brings within its ambit every street, the trees on that street, and the people living around those ‘green residents’. And the lack of an all-encompassing Act leads to a double whammy; difficulty protecting trees from people, often, and sometimes, people from trees. In Tamil Nadu, District Green Committees (one for each district) can be called something of a substitute, being endowed with the power to read the Riot Act to those putting an unnecessary axe to a tree. The best part is the penalty these committees can slap on the violators.

They also hand out permissions for precariously leaning trees to be felled. But their effectiveness is hindered by the lack of capacity building at the level of the local civic bodies and also the lack of awareness about their existence, points out T.D. Babu, a member of the Chennai District Green Committee. First, the cognitive blind spot. On the Namma Chennai App, Greater Chennai Corporation’s official mobile platform for grievance redressal, there is a provision to connect with the Chennai District Green Committee and report a tree barely latching on to life and therefore putting public safety in jeopardy, through the posting of photos and location. Mr. Babu avers that a majority of Namma Chennai App users have rarely swing by this feature. Second, the capacity-building part. GCC’s Parks and Playgrounds Department deals with avenue trees, and Mr. Babu notes that from workaday experience, it lacks sufficient manpower to deal with residents’ tree-related angst. “As things stand, weak trees, those likely to fall, are reported by residents. Being proactive would mean GCC identifies these trees, even those within private compounds, ensuring removal of the dangerous trees in public spaces following Green Committee approval and asking residents to remove such trees in their private land.” Babu elaborates on the insouciance: “No regular monitoring of tree health that includes overgrowth and trunk imbalance, nailing; concretisation both by individuals and government agencies; pest infestation; root rot; dead trees; dumping of debris and garbage at the base of the trees; burning; Many avenue trees need regular lateral pruning, scientifically, to facilitate them to grow straight and to reduce the overload of the branches that can destabilise the tree. The pruning has to be done by trained and skilled workers under the supervision of the park overseer with tree knowledge. Similarly, the pruning has to be done through a single-window system. As of now, EB, residents and ward-level powers do the pruning work with their own labour unscientifically.” Trees are Bengaluru’s pride; they should be their responsibility too Bengaluru is defined by its trees: it wears the laudatory title “The Garden City” proudly, happy eyes crinkling at the corners.