Save Aarey: Bollywood celebs take a stand against the felling of trees

Dia Mirza. Pic/Yogen Shah

Bollywood celebrities such as Dia Mirza, Shraddha Kapoor, Randeep Hooda and many others have expressed disappointment about the Mumbai civic body's decision to cut down as many as 2,700 trees in Aarey Colony, Goregaon, Mumbai. This decision was taken to accommodate a proposed Metro car shed project int he area.

Bollywood celebs have come out in full force to protest against this felling of trees. Dia Mirza, who is the Goodwill Ambassador for UN Environment, UN Secretary Generals Advocate for SDGs, WildLife Trust Of India, took to Twitter to express her disappointment. She tweeted:

She also wrote, "Not against the #Metro. Please build it. But not at the cost of disrupting an ecological system that provides invaluable human services. ALTERNATIVES for the car shed EXIST. It may take more time. But choose better! STOP MASSACRE OF #AAREYFOREST."

John Abraham emphasised on the need to stand up and speak out. He tweeted:

According to a report in IANS, Shraddha Kapoor, who joined the #SaveAarey campaign, said, "A lot of people tell me that it is really good that you are part of this campaign, taking out time from your busy schedule and going out there. My retort is it's nothing special. We have to do this. I don't think it's a big deal because it should be the most normal thing any of us should be doing."

Randeep Hooda, too, took to Twitter to share his thoughts. This is what he tweeted:

Esha Gupta wrote, "This is getting ridiculous, our environment shouldn't be about politics, we need to leave something behind for the kids, not just flying cars n metros, where a plant will soon be the most expensive thing to own.. #SaveAareyForest #SaveAareySaveMumbai #SaveAarey"

According to a report in IANS, Katrina Kaif also spoke up about saving the trees in Aarey. "I believe we all need to do our bit to protect the environment. What we just saw happen in the Amazon (rain forest fire) is something which is really concerning. I think now the problem is really so much in our face that we can no longer ignore it. So, I think everyone needs to wake up and be conscious about what is happening because now it has come to the point where we will start seeing the adverse effect that is going to have upon us," she said while interacting with the media at the green carpet of IIFA Rocks 2019 in Mumbai.

As of now, the Bombay High Court has verbally directed the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) and state government not to cut any trees in the Aarey forest area. The court also said that they are planning to personally visit the area to see what the issue is and slated the matter for September 30 for hearing.

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