Panel approves axing 2,185 trees in Aarey for Mumbai’s Metro-3 corridor

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s 18-member tree authority on Thursday has cleared the proposal to cut 2,185 trees and transplant 461 trees in Aarey Colony at Goregaon.

In a major boost for the construction of a car depot for the underground Metro-3 (Colaba-Seepz) corridor, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s 18-member tree authority on Thursday cleared the proposal to cut 2,185 trees and transplant 461 trees in Aarey Colony at Goregaon. Eight members of the panel cleared the proposal, six opposed it, two walked away from the voting process and two experts were absent.

Trenches dug and land leveled using mud for construction of car shed near unit 19 Aarey for Metro III project (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ). (Photo by Satyabrata Tripathy/ Hindustan Times)

For more than four years, axing of the trees has faced opposition from environmentalists and all big political parties — Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena — except the BJP. At Thursday’s meeting, however, the NCP corporator, voted in favour of the project, while the two Congress corporators abstained from voting. The BJP’s four corporators supported the proposal.

Three of the five experts appointed by the civic body also cleared the proposal, while the other two were absent.

Only the six Sena corporators opposed it. The Sena has threatened to move court against the authority’s clearance. “We are going to oppose the clearance by challenging it legally,” said Yashwant Jadhav, Sena corporator.

Yuva Sena chief Aadtiya Thackeray, who has been supporting the Save Aarey campaign, took to Twitter . “I still have hope that the CM will do away with the misleading reports on Aarey that say there’s no wildlife there, go with the sentiment of Mumbaikars and environment. We are championing the cause of climate change globally and we must save whatever we can, where we have an option,” said Thackeray.