The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has launched a citywide survey of potentially dangerous trees after an 11-year-old student died when a tree fell on a school bus in Mumbai earlier this week. Thane Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar on Wednesday, July 01, directed civic officials to find hazardous trees, reassess previously pruned trees and take steps to reduce such incidents.
The mayor held an emergency meeting with the Thane Municipal Corporation's Tree Authority Department. She instructed officials to inspect trees located inside schools, colleges, hospitals, housing societies and at major traffic junctions across the city. She directed officials to immediately identify trees that are dry, leaning, weak or otherwise dangerous.
She also asked for an assessment of trees that had already been checked. The exercise has been ordered as a priority. The mayor also asked civic teams to remove branches left on roads after pruning work. The recent incidents have also led residents and environmental groups to demand a full health audit of trees across the region.
Residents have also been asked to report dangerous trees to the authorities so that officials can take timely action. Meanwhile, tree collapse incidents have increased in Thane during the ongoing monsoon. Reports show that around 160 trees were uprooted in the first six months of 2026.
The rise in incidents is much higher than the municipal corporation's earlier assessment. The Tree Authority had identified only 68 trees as dangerous during its official survey. However, the actual number of uprooted trees has reached nearly three times that figure.
Monthly data also shows a steady increase in tree collapses this year. Eight trees were uprooted in January. The number continued to rise over the following months. It reached 33 in May before increasing to 78 in June.
Tree fall incidents have remained high over the past few years. In 2023, a total of 362 trees were uprooted, and 344 large branches fell. In 2024, the numbers increased further, with 676 uprooted trees and 485 fallen branches recorded.
On Tuesday, an 11-year-old boy died and four others were injured when a tree fell on a moving school bus. The bus was carrying 13 students at the time of the accident. As per reports, the uprooted peepal tree was around 60 to 70 years old. Civic officials said they had not received any formal complaint about the condition of the tree before it fell.
Another incident was reported on Wednesday night in Navi Mumbai. A large tree collapsed in the Post Office Lane area of Vashi. A family narrowly escaped injury, and no casualties were reported. Following the incident, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Kailas B. Shinde directed civic teams to clear the fallen tree immediately.