Sena, let not your green conscience be convenient

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray

There has been some cheer with Uddhav Thackeray calling for a stay on the Metro car shed at Aarey. The green warriors have been fighting for alternate sites in the city for the car shed. It will now be a wait-and-watch time to see how the government moves on Aarey.

The Save Aarey group wants the new chief minister to declare Aarey a forest. That might take a while, though. The new troika comprising the state government must look at all open spaces in the city.

The Shiv Sena was very strident some years earlier, calling for horse racing to be moved out of Mahalaxmi race course, branding it as an elite sport.

There are legitimate fears that if horse hooves fall silent, the green emerald of SoBo will be taken over by builders or political parties who have been eyeing it under one pretext or the other, for years now.

The Sena has gone on record saying it wants to set up a theme park at the racecourse.

Sena, if you are so concerned about not a leaf being cut at Aarey, then express similar sentiments towards this green area too.

Unlike the common perception about racing, the Mahalaxmi race course is inclusive.

It is an open ground for walkers and joggers. The inside of the track is used by footballers especially during the rains. The outer peripheral areas see a lot of recreational walkers. Currently the track is crowded with runners training for the Mumbai marathon in January 2020.

There have been repeated calls for the racecourse to be put to better use, read: commercially exploited through a developer.

The Sena needs to ensure that it is kept open and not taken over. Show the same concern you showed for Aarey, otherwise your green conscience may just be convenient.

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