2,141 Aarey trees axed, will not cut more: MMRC

Following the Supreme Court’s (SC) order saying status quo should be maintained in Aarey Milk Colony with respect to tree-cutting, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation

Following the Supreme Court’s (SC) order saying status quo should be maintained in Aarey Milk Colony with respect to tree-cutting, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) said it has already cut 2,141 trees of the 2,185 trees to be felled for the construction of the Metro-3 car shed. The MMRC, which is executing the Metro-3 project, also said no further tree-felling would be undertaken.

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The MMRC released a statement on Monday after a special bench, urgently convened by the SC, ordered that no more trees should be cut at Aarey Milk Colony. The court said status quo should be maintained till the next hearing, which is on October 21.

“We respect the order of the hon’ble Supreme Court passed today. No future tree felling activity at the car shed site in Aarey Milk Colony will be undertaken. Other works, including clearing of already felled trees, will continue at the site,” said the MMRC in its statement.

It added that though the project has been delayed by over six months on account of “legal and other impediments”, it expects to meet the deadline of December 2021.

On October 5, the Bombay high court (HC) had allowed the state to cut 2,185 and transplant 464 trees for the Metro-3 car shed. Hours later, the MMRC began axing trees, which led to citizens gathering at Aarey in protest.

Twenty-nine people were eventually arrested – they were granted conditional bail by a sessions court on Monday – and section 144 was imposed in Goregaon.

In response to a letter from law student Rishav Ranjan to the Chief Justice of India, the SC convened a special bench to hear the Aarey matter on Monday.

Clarifying the MMRC’s decision to start tree-felling on Saturday, its spokesperson said, “Following the decision of the hon’ble high court on 4/10/19 upholding the permission of the tree authority, the felling of 2,185 trees was undertaken on October 4 and 5, 2019, and as on date, 2,141 trees have been felled. These will be cleared from the site and subsequent construction activities will be carried out.”

The spokesperson also said that the MMRC has planted 23,846 trees and distributed 25,000 saplings as part of its green initiatives.

While Goregaon residents complained that work was continuing at the Metro site despite the SC order, a senior bureaucrat from the state secretariat said, “The matter heard in the Apex Court pertained to tree cutting only. No other issues were involved. Therefore it was not an occasion for the court to pass order with regard to the main project or construction work. The solicitor general submitted before the court that whatever trees were required to be cut were already cut and therefore no further trees will be cut.’’

Amrita Bhattacharjee, a member of Aarey Conservation Group, said, “We are glad that Supreme Court took a note of what is happening at Aarey. What we need to understand is that the car shed area is the catchment area for Mithi river, which is why there was flooding around Marol, during the recent rains.”