Chennai's New Tree App Gets 41 Requests in One Week

Protecting city trees just got a whole lot easier in Chennai, where a new app is helping residents and officials work together to balance safety with greenery.

Greater Chennai Corporation launched an online platform on January 12 that lets anyone request permission to cut or prune trees in public spaces. Within just six days, 41 applications flooded in through the website and Namma Chennai mobile app.

The old system was a maze. People sent tree requests to the Forest Department, the Collector's office, even the police, creating confusion and delays. Now everything lands in one place where a Green Committee reviews each case with photos and documentation.

"Once we get a request, inspection would be taken up and a report submitted for the committee to take a final call on it," says S. Nireshkumar, superintendent of Parks at GCC. The Green Committee includes officials from GCC, the Forest Department, and representatives from two environmental NGOs who must all weigh in before any tree comes down.

The process is simple. Residents upload photos showing why a branch or tree poses a problem, mark the exact location, and submit their request. The committee then inspects the site and makes a science-based decision.

The system also cracks down on tree abuse. Wrapping concrete around tree bases, driving nails into trunks for ads, or stringing decorative lights all carry a 15,000 rupee fine. Illegally cutting down a tree costs 100,000 rupees.

Nireshkumar explains why these rules matter. "Cement blocking trees harms it by cutting off water, oxygen and nutrients ultimately weakening the roots. Likewise, hanging electric lights affect the photosynthesis process that plants need for its food."

The Ripple Effect: This digital shift does more than streamline paperwork. It creates a public record of every tree decision in Chennai, making it harder for anyone to quietly remove urban greenery without proper review. The transparency helps both tree lovers who want to prevent unnecessary cutting and residents with legitimate safety concerns about dangerous branches. Citizen groups are already asking GCC to publish regular updates showing how many permits get approved and why, turning tree management into a community conversation rather than a backroom decision.

The new platform proves that protecting nature and keeping people safe don't have to conflict when everyone can see the process and participate in the solution.