Of 13,000 objections against car shed, 10,000 came from one IP address: CM

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday indicated that some of the protests against the Metro car shed at Aarey could be motivated by vested interests.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday indicated that some of the protests against the Metro car shed at Aarey could be motivated by vested interests.

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Speaking at a press conference at the BJP office in Nariman Point, he said, “Of the 13,000 objections against the car shed project, around 10,000 came from one IP address in Bangalore. There have been repeated demands from some over alternative site. However, the government will have to pay some private party ₹5,000 crore to get that land.”

He further added that this added cost would in turn make the Metro project “unfeasible” and the cost would have to be recovered from citizens by increasing fares.

The Shiv Sena has backed the protests against the Aarey car shed, with Yuva chief Aaditya Thackeray insisting the Sena will not allow the shed to come up at Aarey colony.

Several environmentalists and citizens are up in arms against the project that will come at a cost of 2,185 trees.

The chief minister also said that following protests and petitions, the car shed issue had been heard at the Bombay high court, National Green Tribunal as well the apex court, where the government’s stand had been vindicated.

He also said that nationalism would continue to be one of the agendas for the state Assembly polls. When asked why the BJP was making the Maharashtra polls a referendum on Kashmir, he said, “Why shouldn’t nationalism be a poll agenda? It is one of our poll planks. Everywhere in the world, nationalism is a key issue. The US elections will be fought over building a wall between two countries. And, Article 370 is not just about Kashmir, but about India’s integrity.”