Activists, Oppn leaders hail SC order; hit out at govt, MMRCL
MUMBAI: Activists and leaders of the opposition Congress and NCP on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's order restraining authorities from cutting anymore trees in Aarey Colony here to make way for a Metro car shed.
Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan and NCP leader Supriya Sule hit out at the Bjp-led state government for "haste" in cutting trees and "suppressing" the voice of activists and the common man.
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) started hacking trees from Friday night to make way for the car shed, hours after the Bombay High Court dismissed four petitions filed by NGOS and activists, challenging the decision to allow felling of trees in the prime green lung of the city.
"The haste with which the Maharashtra government acted over the weekend in cutting trees is condemnable," Sule said. "The Supreme Court decision on Aarey is welcome.
However what is worrying is the admission of the Maharashtra Government in the SC that the necessary number of trees have already been cut," the Lok Sabha member from Baramati tweeted.
"I condemn the act of state government to start felling of trees in the night last week. The final decision was not even out but still the government rushed for axing the trees," she added.
Chavan also hit out at the Devendra Fadnavis-led state
government over the cutting of trees in Aarey.
"The Supreme Court's order is a "tight slap on the face of BJP-SHIV Sena government that has tried to suppress the voice of the common man and activists protesting against Aarey tree felling," the senior Congress leader said.
Prof Avkash Jadhav, head of the history department at St Xavier's College here and trustee of the city-based KAASH Foundation, welcomed the court's decision and demanded a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into cutting of trees at night last Friday.
"An SIT should be set up to inspect the site of Aarey now and identify the actual damage done," said Jadhav, who last month helped students of his college to write a letter to British adventurer Bear Grylls for seeking his support to stop felling of trees in the Aarey Colony. The team should comprise activists and environmental experts from other states and members from non-governmental bodies, he said.
Hailing the Supreme Court's order restraining authorities from cutting anymore trees in Aarey Colony here to make way for a Metro car shed, the Shiv Sena on Monday said it is a “moral victory” for environmentalists.
Maneesha Kayande, spokesperson of the Sena, which is an ally of the ruling BJP but has been opposing tree felling in the city's green belt, said it was the government's “mistake” not to declare Aarey area as a forest and rued that nearly “2,100 trees” have been cut in two days. “The Supreme Court's directives to maintain status quo at the Aarey site is a moral victory for environmentalists and citizens of Mumbai who are objecting to it,” the MLC said.