Environmentalists and members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday demanded political parties contesting the civic polls to declare their stand on the construction of a car shed in Aarey Colony for the Mumbai Metro Line 3 project.
AAP’s national executive member, Preeti Sharma Menon, attacked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for going back on a promise he made in 2014 of saving Aarey Colony’s green cover.
Ms. Menon said, “It is only during elections that parties pay attention to the people. We will meet parties and ask what they think about the conservation of Aarey.” They plan to launch a social media campaign soon and post its results online. She said, “The campaign will ask Mumbaikars to support only those candidates who support Aarey.”
On launching the campaign just four days before the polls, Ms. Menon said, “We shouldn’t give them a lot of time, two days is enough for them to decide. [If the parties back out] we won’t give up and will keep fighting. Aarey is a deal-breaker.”
Bhalchandra K. Kango, a member of the Communist Party of India, said BMC corporators have to approve the construction plan before work begins. Campaigners and citizens can “compel the corporators to not approve the Metro plan in Aarey.”
Environmentalist Amrita Bhattacharjee said, “[The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation] keeps changing the land area they require in Aarey. First it was 30 acres, and later they said 20 acres. Now, they also want to build a labour camp. We have told them that the construction would result in flooding of nearby areas.”
Ms. Bhattacharjee said a government-appointed committee had suggested that Kanjurmarg and Kalina could be alternative sites for the car shed, “but they disregarded these suggestions.” She said, “Kanjurmarg will be a better alternative as it would improve connectivity. Aarey has different species of plants and animals, which will be destroyed by the construction.” Ms. Menon said seven alternative places, including Kanjurmarg and Kalina, have been suggested to the Metro authorities.
Records go missing
Stalin Dayanand, director of NGO Vanashakti and a member of Save Aarey initiative, said representatives of the State’s Forest Department admitted they could not locate a 1997 report that demarcated forest land in the city. They made the admission on Friday at a National Green Tribunal hearing on the construction of the car shed in Aarey.
He said, “They told us that Aarey is not a forest. We approached the NGT, which directed them to produce the records for forests. The department couldn’t produce them and have sought more time. The matter is adjourned to March 15.”
