Protests continued during the wee hours of Saturday as authorities began cutting down trees at Mumbai's Aarey Colony for a metro car shed, merely hours after the Bombay High Court dismissed all petitions against the move. Protesters gathered at the spot asking why can't the authorities wait until a petition can be filed in the Supreme Court regarding the matter.
Here are the live updates of Mumbai Aarey protest:
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP's key alliance partner in Maharashtra, has supported the green activists. "The upcoming government will be our government, and once our government comes into power once again, we will deal with the murderers of Aarey Forest in the best possible way," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
The Bombay High Court has rejected a fresh petition moved by some green activists to stay the cutting of trees in Mumbai's Aarey Colony.
There's always been a conflict between development & conservation. Yes, the city needs to build infrastructure to support a growing population. But the city also needs trees & parks & greenery. We need to protect nature like life depends on it. Because it does.#LetMumbaiBreathe
- Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) October 5, 2019
There's always been a conflict between development & conservation. Yes, the city needs to build infrastructure to support a growing population. But the city also needs trees & parks & greenery. We need to protect nature like life depends on it. Because it does.#LetMumbaiBreathe
- Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) October 5, 2019
Union Minister of Environment Prakash Javadekar on #AareyForest: Bombay HC has ruled that it's not a forest. When the first Delhi metro station was to be constructed, 20-25 trees were to be cut, people had protested then too, but for each tree cut, five trees were planted. pic.twitter.com/pCAUuBFmAb
- ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2019
- He said, "In Delhi, 271 metro stations have been made and tree cover has also increase."
- He backed cutting trees at Aarey, says development and environment protection should go together
- 29 activists have been arrested since Friday night in Mumbai after they tried to stop the authorities from cutting trees at Aarey Colony, where a car shed for the Mumbai Metro will be built.
- Bulldozers rolled into the area as protesters looked at them from a safe distance.
- Any gathering of four or more people is banned now, the Mumbai Police said.
- A police case has been filed against 38 people, Mumbai Police public relations officer Pranaya Ashok said. Twenty have been arrested and they will appear in a court today, he said.
Propaganda...: Mumbai Metro Chief Hits Out At Aarey Activists' ClaimsThe cutting of trees in Aarey that began late on Friday night is not illegal Mumbai Metro chief Ashwini Bhide has claimed, labelling as "false propaganda" concerns that a mandatory 15-day notice period was not met"
The use of a large number of police personnel. Hacking trees in the dead of the night, even after winning in court (then why not broad day light) and detention of peaceful protesters and citizens. Who is authorising this? During Code of Conduct? All these powers handed to MMRC? https://t.co/SGv5yySfXn
- Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) October 5, 2019
All this for a carshed - which is basically like a parking lot for the Metro. Stealing oxygen from the lungs of citizens. https://t.co/lNf1EHXDJa
- TheRichaChadha (@RichaChadha) October 5, 2019
- The entire Aarey Colony was cordoned off by Mumbai police on Saturday morning after hundreds of green activists tried to stop the felling of trees in the area.
- "There is a heavy police deployment in the area. No one is allowed to enter Aarey Colony. Even tourists are being stopped," an activist said.
- Environment activists criticised the authorities, claiming that almost 200 trees have been cut so far. They alleged the metro corporation wants to finish the job before October 10, when the matter comes before the National Green Tribunal.
- "This matter is going to be heard by the NGT on October 10, and we hope to get some respite from there. But it seems like the authorities want to eliminate the entire green patch before the hearing," Stalin D, one of the activists, said.
- Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said cutting the trees was "a violation of the model code of conduct".
I have been forcibly evicted by the cops and I wasn't even breaking the law! The cops in the car wont even tell me where I am being taken ... this is insane @MumbaiPolice
- Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) October 5, 2019
- Prohibitory orders under Section 144 clamped in the area near the metro-rail project site in Aarey Forest, Mumbai Police PRO tweeted.
- Prohibitory orders under Section 144 clamped in the area near the metro-rail project site in Aarey Forest, Mumbai Police PRO tweeted.
- Section 144 imposed in the Aarey area. People cannot gather in Aarey area.
- Over 20 people have been arrested. They will be produced in the court today.
In the cover of darkness the axe falls on our trees . RIP #AareyForest ... we failed you . My heart breaks to know that by morning many proud erect trees will have fallen to human greed . pic.twitter.com/VJdnRl7o6c
- Onir (@IamOnir) October 4, 2019
A sad day today where so called development wins over quality of life and preservation of environment. The trees are already being chopped down in the dark of the night. This is murder of mother nature and we will all have to pay for it. God help Mumbai https://t.co/BZvnfbwNYW
- Priya Dutt (@PriyaDutt_INC) October 4, 2019
Lathi Charge done for the first time at the peaceful protests for Aarey. People have been detained inside, gates have been closed and the authorities are abusing the protestors. Women have been pushed and detained by the police at this hour, which is lawfully wrong. #SaveAarey
- Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) October 4, 2019
Cutting trees at night is a pathetic attempt at trying to get away with something even those doing it know is wrong. #Aarey #GreenIsGold #Mumbai
- Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) October 5, 2019
At a time when effects of climate crisis are so chillingly visible, Maha Govt's insistence on felling Aarey trees & its refusal to look for other spaces for building metro parking shed is quite worrying. This myopia towards the future of Earth will come to haunt us@Youth4Swaraj pic.twitter.com/pmqXU3Ywtc
- Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) October 4, 2019
There is supposed to be a 15 day waiting period after permission is granted and notice has been uploaded on official website. But there is no waiting here. Our trees are being cut as citizens desperately plead to STOP this! @moefcc @PrakashJavdekar #Aarey https://t.co/nmVP7WllI7
- Dia Mirza (@deespeak) October 4, 2019
Isn't this illegal!?! This is happening at #Aarey right now. Why? How? @AUThackeray @mybmc @CMOMaharashtra @TOIIndiaNews @MumbaiMirror @fayedsouza @VishalDadlani @ShraddhaKapoor pic.twitter.com/V8IrO6M2dU
- Dia Mirza (@deespeak) October 4, 2019
A project that should be executed with pride, the Metro 3, @MumbaiMetro3 has to do it in the cover of the night, with shame, slyness and heavy cop cover.
- Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) October 4, 2019
The project supposed to get Mumbai clean air, is hacking down a forest with a leopard, rusty spotted cat and more
- He also tweeted, "The vigour with which the @MumbaiMetro3 is slyly and swiftly cutting down an ecosystem in Aarey is shameful and disgusting. How about posting these officials in PoK, giving them charge to destroy terror camps rather than trees?"
- "Many environmentalists and even many local Shiv Sena members from the vicinity have tried stopping this. More so the increased police presence and the way this deforestation is happening, @MumbaiMetro3 is destroying everything India said at the UN @UNEnvironment @UN"
- "There's no point for the Central government ministry of climate change to exist, or to speak about plastic pollution when the @MumbaiMetro3 senselessly destroys the Aarey vicinity. This ego battle taken up by Metro 3 is destroying the purpose of making it."
The @ShivSena 's @sheetalmhatre1 ji & Shubha Raul ji at Aarey. Even @prabhu_suneel ji has been standing up for it with the citizens. Wonder why @MumbaiMetro3 is treating Mumbaikars like criminals and not listening to sensible demand of sustainable development. https://t.co/ZdjF8ttKTk
- Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) October 4, 2019
The urgency shown by the authorities to cut the trees at #Aarey is in clear violation of citizens' rights and demands.@Dev_Fadnavis govt. can't take refuge of the night's dark hours to hide its Anti-Mumbai actions.#SaveAarey https://t.co/tcmbGTLr3V
- Mumbai Congress (@INCMumbai) October 4, 2019
- Several activists, including women, have been detained during the night.
- Tree cutting continued through the night.
- Activists allege that the police is not allowing anyone to enter Aarey.
Tree Cutting Begins At Mumbai's Aarey Colony, Activists ProtestHours after the Bombay High Court cancelled four petitions challenging the cutting of trees at Mumbai's Aarey Colony for a metro car shed, the process in the green belt started on Friday evening.
- Protests continued during the wee hours of Saturday as authorities began cutting down trees at Mumbai's Aarey Colony for a metro car shed, merely hours after the Bombay High Court dismissed all petitions against the move.
- "What is the hurry that they are cutting down trees in the middle of the night," one of the protesters said.
- Protesters gathered at the spot asking why can't the authorities wait until a petition can be filed in the Supreme Court regarding the matter.
- "It is saddening to see that the trees which provide life to others are being cut. This is happening when the government itself is urging people to plant more trees," another protester, Albert Michel said.
- The site also has heavy police deployment as hundreds of people have gathered in the area to stop trees from being hacked.
- The Bombay High Court had, on Friday, dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2,500 trees in Aarey Colony of Mumbai to make way for a Metro car shed and refused to declare the colony as a forest.
- Scores of locals including environmental activists have been opposing the cutting of trees for the construction of the car shed of the metro station. They are demanding the relocation of the bus depot, which is a part of the Metro III project.
- Several B-town actors and political leaders have also extended their support to activists by participating in the protests against the cutting of trees.
- Meanwhile, actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar had supported the Metro project.
