Mumbai’s Aarey Colony needs to be protected to preserve wildlife & biodiversity: Aaditya Thackeray


PTI, Jul 10, 2022, 2:49 PM IST

Former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday participated in a protest against the state government’s decision to construct a Metro car shed in Mumbai’s Aarey Colony and said the 808-acre area there was reserved as a forest to preserve the wildlife and biodiversity in the city.

”I appeal to the new state government (led by CM Eknath Shinde) not to take out the anger against us on Mumbai,” Thackeray told reporters.

Thackeray said the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, wherein he had served as the tourism and environment minister, was ”pro-Mumbai, pro-Maharashtra and a votary of sustainable development”.

In the Aarey forest, often termed as the city’s ‘green lung’, located in Goregaon western suburb, some 300 different varieties of flora and fauna are found, including a large number of leopards.

Green activists have been vehemently opposing the cutting of trees in Aarey for the car shed.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently directed state Advocate General and the administration to submit a proposal on building the car shed in Aarey Colony, instead of Kanjurmarg, the eastern suburb which was chosen by the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government.

On Sunday, Aaditya Thackeray participated in a protest by environmentalists against the Metro car shed in Aarey.

On the previous government’s decision to shift the project to Kanjurmarg, the Shiv Sena leader said, ”We wanted to preserve the wildlife and biodiversity. We recognised the adivasi (tribal) hamlets and at the same time, worked on the concretisation of roads in Aarey without touching a single tree.”

He said before the MVA government was toppled (recently after Sena MLA Eknath Shinde and most of the party legislators rebelled), it was looking for options other than Kanjurmarg. ”The Kanjurmarg car shed would have catered to the Metro lines 3, 6, 4 and 14. We would have saved Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore,” the former minister said. A car shed is not for daily use, but for maintenance every four to five months, he said. The MVA government was looking for a stabilising line for Metro 3 at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Nariman Point (in south Mumbai), he added.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Drugs worth Rs 6 crore seized in Bengaluru, five arrested

Siddaramaiah urges Nirmala Sitharaman to address NABARD’s loan cuts to farmers

Karnataka HC denies anticipatory bail to Prajwal Revanna in sexual harassment case

Delhi court stays defamation case against CM Atishi

Awards don’t create value for independent films in India: Manoj Bajpayee

Public Alert: Cyber fraudsters impersonating traffic police to demand fines

UP: 25 people booked for attacking civic officials for encroachment removal

Related Articles More

Air pollution: SC flags Delhi govt’s failure to implement GRAP-4 curbs on entry of trucks

Baba Siddique murder: Man held from Akola, 26th arrest in case

SC notice to Gyanvapi mosque committee on plea for ASI survey of ‘shivling’ area

Delhi court stays defamation case against CM Atishi

Sambhal Jama Masjid row: Friday prayers held peacefully amid tight security

MUST WATCH

Christmas Cake Fruit Mixing

DK Shivakumar

Rose Cultivation

Geethotsava

Naxal Operation


Latest Additions

Air pollution: SC flags Delhi govt’s failure to implement GRAP-4 curbs on entry of trucks

Drugs worth Rs 6 crore seized in Bengaluru, five arrested

Siddaramaiah urges Nirmala Sitharaman to address NABARD’s loan cuts to farmers

Satwik-Chirag enter semifinals, Lakshya loses to Antonsen in China Masters

BJP stages protest against Congress govt in Karnataka over Waqf properties row

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.