Mumbai: Chop-chop, state govt gets to work at Aarey colony

As the main Aarey Milk Colony road was closed for traffic on Monday on the pretext of MMRC and BMC work being carried out, city green activists associated with the Save Aarey cause have alleged that trees there were being trimmed illegally. There was heavy police bandobast in Aarey Milk Colony and except for those residing there, no one was allowed to use the road.

On Monday at around 9.30 am environmentalists took to social media and alleged that trees on the main road of Aarey, close to the VIP guest house and near Picnic point were being trimmed and cut. Many Save Aarey supporters tried to reach the car depot site but were not allowed to enter the Aarey Milk Colony.

On Sunday, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Western Suburban Traffic) issued a press release, which stated that the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were carrying out various works in Aarey Colony on Monday and so, traffic on the roads from Aarey Colony to Marol Naka and Aarey Colony to Filterpada under Dindoshi Traffic Division would be diverted on Monday.

Work on at the Metro-3 car shed in Aarey Milk Colony on Monday. Pic/Satej Shinde

The press release also stated that people could use the JVLR Road to reach Powai / Marol and vice versa. People residing in Aarey Colony were allowed to use the main road. It was said that the work of trimming the branches of the trees on the main road of Aarey was done because the rakes of Metro 3 are coming soon to Mumbai and they will have to be taken to the facility via multi axle trucks. The police bandobast was so strong that media persons were also not allowed to enter the area. Some nature lovers were detained by the police.

Environmentalists furious

Environmentalist Zoru Bhathena said, "In 2019 the Devendra Fadnavis government told a false story that all trees have been cut. Now Fadnavis is back and again telling a false story that no trees will be touched. Today's tree cutting has exposed this lie."

Stalin D from NGO Vanashakti said, "What is being done is merciless trimming, that too without permission from the Tree Authority. This is part of the Fadnavis government's exercise to demoralise the Save Aarey movement. The trimming has supposedly been done to bring bogies into the ramp area. This could have been done without touching the trees by offloading the bogies at night from JVLR."

MMRC speak

An MMRC spokesperson said, "In order to facilitate the movement of trailers carrying Metro 3 coaches, tree trimming/pruning of low-lying branches has been undertaken by the Rolling Stock (Metro Trains) supply contractor of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation on the road leading to Aarey. The prototype train has been dispatched from Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, and will be in Mumbai soon. The activity undertaken is restricted only to tree trimming/pruning to facilitate movement of the trailer. The receiving and assembly area are created for the purpose of trials at Marol Maroshi Road, Sariput Nagar. The necessary permissions from the competent authorities for carrying of tree pruning activity have been obtained. The trial runs will be conducted in the 3-km stretch from the temporary parking facility to the Marol Naka Metro Station."

BMC keeps mum

The BMC's officials kept mum on whether the pruning of trees was being done in Aarey with permission for any reason. Jitendra Pardeshi, superintendent of the Garden Department did not respond to any messages or calls from mid-day and Ashwini Bhide, additional commissioner and in-charge of Garden Department said the MMRC statement is self explanatory. The Public Relations Officer of the BMC also did not respond to tree trimming queries. In 2019, the MMRC had taken permission to cut trees for the Metro 3 car shed inside Aarey.

Inputs by Prajakta Kasale