Mass Public Outrage Saves Aarey! MMRDA Chooses Wadala Land For Metro Casting Yard

The state government had greenlit MMRDA’s plea to fell around 2,900 trees in the ‘lungs of Mumbai’, Aarey Colony. They were planning to build 14.47-km Lokhandwala-Kanjurmarg corridor-6 in the area which is home to several animal and plant species as well as tribal communities. The decision invoked huge protests from Mumbaikars including Bollywood celebs.

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#SAVEAAREY

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Apart from the land allowed for Metro Bhawan, a metro car parking lot and a yard, MMRDA was initially seeking another 2,775 sqm land of Mumbai’s green cover. Following the ‘Save Aarey’ movement by Mumbaikars, the Maharashtra state government and MMRDA have decided to give up on the Aarey land and are planning to seek another piece of land for the metro parking lot at Wadala. This simply goes to show the true power of a just public protest by concerned citizens!

“We have decided to take up 28,000 sqft of land in the Wadala area to build the casting yard for the metro line 6,” an MMRDA official told News 18.

“No land is being sought from the Aarey Milk Colony,” he added.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier defended the government’s move to use the Aarey Colony for metro setup and said that there is a need to balance development and environmental concerns.

An environmentalist with the Mumbai-based NGO Vanashakti, Stalin D raised several questions on the government’s decision to approve tree slaughtering for metro development.

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@nehru_mitra_mandal Major Win! MMRDA Dumps 🌳 Aarey Land 🌳For Metro🚆 Yard And Chooses Wadala Instead After Protests… . . . This could be called a massive win for the people’s movement who protested government’s move to acquire additional land for building a metro shed. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had earlier sought more land from the Aarey Colony to build another casting yard for the upcoming metro projects, but they have now bowed down to public pressure and protests. The MMRDA has now sought an alternate land parcel at Wadala in the southeastern periphery of the megapolis. There have protests on a daily basis since the news of MMRDA acquiring more land broke. Activists and environmentalists have been protesting daily against the state’s proposal to fell around 2,900 more trees in the city's green lung Aarey Colony, which is home to thousands of tribals and hundreds of wildlife species, apart from the unique flora and fauna, to build a casting yard for the 14.47-km Lokhandwala-Kanjurmarg corridor-6.  BCCL "We have decided to take up 28,000 sqft of land in the Wadala area to build the casting yard for the metro line 6," an MMRDA official told PTI. He said that no land is being sought from the Aarey Milk Colony. Last week, the state had given a go ahead to MMRDA to clear up another portion of Aarey to build a casting yard, which would have led to the feeling of close to 2,900 more trees as it was seeking an additional 2,775 sqmt land. . . . #YuvaRaja #goregaoneast #aareyforest #aareyforest #aareycolony #aareycolony #aareyconservationgroup #aareyconservation #aareybeats #mahananda #goregoanchecknaka #powai #powailake

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“MMRDA’s demands are never-ending. We had opposed the car shed in the colony, which would result in felling thousands of trees. But the authorities didn’t stop at that, they decided to set up the Metro Bhavan. We are not fighting the metro but our fight is to protect the forests and the green area of the city,” he said.

“Even if we consider the crashed, what was the need for the Metro Bhavan? Could that not have been constructed in BKC, where MMRDA has large land parcels?” Stalin questioned.

Aarey has already been used for commercial purposes like Film City and other educational institutes. “Aarey is an active buffer for the protected areas of the SG National Park. This landscape is a veritable green lung and must be protected as it is,” Stalin said.

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Well, if you just see the Google map the distance between the spot where I am standing ,Aarey Colony and Sanjay Gandhi National Park is around 12 kilometers and most importantly this spot is considered as a buffer zone. Natural Buffer zone is the zone where one has to maintain a distance between human and wildlife space. The proposal to axe approximately 2700 trees in the aarey forest for the development of the metro car shed has sadden me. I don't understand , if they are thinking to cut down so much trees for the human beneficial, why people's are not thinking about wildlife ? How will they survive? where will they go on this earth? .I am sure wildlife going to enter residential area to snatch foods for their survival. If they do so, they are not wrong because leopards ,monkeys, snake and other animals don't understand the boundary. This is the one prime thing about human and wildlife conflict in Mumbai which is the biggest challenge our organisation (RAWW) is battling with. I want people to imagine that cutting approximately 2700 trees will lead to hazardous impact on wildlife but also on nature and human beings. It will leads to increase in the pollution,floods , temperature and all this conflicts will be face by the entire city. I also want people to understand that preservation of trees is not only important for the oxygen cylinder approach but also for the wildlife. Wildlife plays an integral part of the entire aarey forest and our city.And those species also has an equal right to live freely and happy in their own home. –Ritu Sharma , member of the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare(RAWW). #saveanimals #saveaarey #saveaareyforest #savetheplanet #savealife #saveaareysavemumbai#saveaareysavemumbai #savetheearth #saveaareysavemumbai #saveaareyforestsavemumbai #saveaareyconservationgroup#aarey #aareyforest #aareycolony #aareyaikana #aareyousafe #aareyconservationgroup#aareyforestmumbai #aareymumbai #saveaareycolony#oneplus6tphotography #oneplus6t #oneplus_india #mobilephotography#mobile_photography3 #mobilephotography#oneplus_click_india#mymumbaimydream

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MMRDA and the state government is planning to develop the metro network in the city by building 14 metro lines extending up to 337 km across the city. An investment of over Rs 1.25 lakh crore has been made for the same and the network is expected to be set up within the next decade.

Public outrage has certainly turned out to be an eye-opener for the state government and MMRDA. The efforts of people have finally paid off and helped them save the lungs of the city. It’s time to celebrate Mumbaikars!

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