Amid protests by citizens and environmentalists against the Aarey project and logging, Maharashtra Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray said Sunday that the government is now moving the subway car shed project from the Aarey colony to Kanjurmarg in Mumbai.
In a webcast, Thackeray said that the project will be moved to government land in Kanjurmarg and that no cost will be incurred for the purpose. “The land will be available at zero rate,” he said.
He said the building that has been erected in the Aarey Forest will be used for some other public purpose. “About ₹Expenses of Rs 100 million were incurred for this purpose and will not be wasted, “he said.
Thackeray said the government had previously declared 600 acres of Aarey’s land as forest, but now it has been revised to 800 acres. There will be no infringement of tribal rights in the Aarey forest, he added.
“Biodiversity in Aarey must be conserved and protected. Nowhere is there an 800-acre jungle in an urban setting. Mumbai has natural forest cover,” he said.
Last month, Uddhav had ordered the state Department of the Interior to drop cases registered against protesters last year for opposing the cutting down of trees for a proposed subway car shed in the Aarey neighborhood, one of the main green lungs. from the city.
The decision was made at the state cabinet meeting.
A tweet from the Chief Minister’s office said Thackeray directed the state Department of the Interior to begin the process of withdrawing the cases.
The request to withdraw cases was made at the cabinet meeting by the state Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray, which was supported by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and other ministers.
Uddhav Thackeray had announced the withdrawal of the cases against green activists last December, days after he was sworn in as prime minister.
The cases were recorded after clashes broke out between the police and green activists who opposed the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) logging in Aarey Colony last October for the construction of a subway car shed. for the Metro-3 line.
The police had registered at least 38 protesters under sections 353 of the IPC (assault or use of criminal force to dissuade a public official from fulfilling his duties), 332 (willfully causing harm to dissuade a public official from duty) and 143 (illegal assembly).
Last month, the CM had asked officials from the Mumbai Metro and MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) to examine whether the proposed subway car shed can be moved to the Pahadi Goregaon area near Oshiwara. .
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