Nationwide protests in solidarity with Save Aarey today

The protests have been endorsed by former environment minister and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, who himself visited the protest site on Sunday, June 10

Mumbai: Environment groups in more than 15 cities across the country have called for a nationwide protest today in solidarity with the protesters of the Save Aarey movement. Demonstrations are expected to be held in Nagpur, Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Hyderabad and Agra, among other cities and towns, between 11am and 12pm.

Mumbai, India - July 10, 2022:Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray joins the Protesters during 'Save Aarey' protest against cutting the trees and building a metro car shed in Aarey forest. The government wants to shift the metro car shed construction back to Aarey forest from Kanjurmarg as the cost of the metro project escalated. in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, July 10, 2022. (Photo by Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times) (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

In Mumbai, protestors will gather at Aarey Colony’s Picnic Point at the same time, as they have been since July 3, soon after deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the new government’s decision to move the Metro-3 carshed back to its controversial site in Aarey’s Prajapurdada.

The protests have been endorsed by former environment minister and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, who himself visited the protest site on Sunday, June 10. Addressing those gathered, he attacked the Eknath Shinde government for issuing stay orders on various decisions taken by the previous government, which collapsed after a rebellion of Sena MLAs led by Shinde.

During the Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena regime, the Sena was at odds with its ally over the construction of the depot in the Aarey forests. Relocation of the metro carshed from Aarey to Kanjurmarg was among the first decisions that the MVA had taken after coming to power in 2019.

Aaditya said that the MVA government had shifted the car depot to Kanjurmarg and the land could be used to house composite depots for four metro railway routes -- III (Colaba to SEEPZ), IV (Wadala to Gaimukh), VI (Swami Samarth Nagar to Kanjurmarg) and XIV (Badlapur-Kanjurmarg). “Depots for four lines would have been at one place. This would have saved between ₹8,500 to ₹10,000 crore,” he added.

“We call upon all the environmental collectives groups and citizens across India to hold peaceful demonstrations in their cities, towns and villages this coming Sunday – July 24. More than 15 locations will see protests including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Maharashtra, Kerala etc.,” said a statement released on Saturday by activists organised under the umbrella of ‘Save Aarey’.

“Destruction of a forest in the wake of climate change is simply ecocide. Cutting of trees anywhere in India or in the world is no more a local issue but an issue of global and national importance. We are already grappling with the effects of climate change, with so many states in India currently facing flash floods, landslides and rising heat. We know that the destruction of Aarey will increase such disaster events. Aarey safeguards our present and our future,” the statement continued.