MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday questioned the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC ) how it had granted blanket permissions to some private and public bodies to trim trees on their premises. It said the civic body has to reconsider these permissions.A bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla heard an application by activist Zoru Bathena regarding the indiscriminate felling of trees under the guise of trimming them for monsoon.The court was told the BMC has granted permissions to agencies like Tata Power, Reliance Energy, Railways and Airports Authority of India. "You can't grant blanket permissions. Who will decide if the branches are dead?" asked Justice Oka. The judge also said, "If there are 100 branches on a tree and you cut 90, it will lead to permanent destruction." The judges said the BMC may grant permission, but it must not grant blanket. permission. "There has to be application of mind," said Justice Oka.Senior advocate Anil Sakhare, representing BMC, said,"Before the authorities are doing the work, they have to inform us. There is scrutiny available." But the bench pointed that the permissions are not restricted to a particular land. "See the kind of permissions granted! It covers the entire Corporation area," said Justice Oka.Since the agencies who have been granted permissions are not before the court, the judges allowed Bathena to amend his application to make them parties.

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