Mumbai: Activists slam MMRC for 'brazen lies' on tree cutting in Aarey

The Save Aarey conservation group, which is making every effort to save the city's green lungs lambasted the state government and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation(MMRC) for their alleged lies in the Supreme Court on Friday.

D Stalin, a petitioner and founder of Vanshakti an NGO, slammed the authority for alleged lies, claiming that the activists produced old photographs of satellite images of Aarey metro depot site. “The submissions of MMRC should be read as one of the most brazen lies in the court of law. The media and citizens have witnessed that the trees have been cut by using bull dozers and JCBs. Whereas the images shown by MMRC are selectively taken from 2020 instead of 2022 satellite images and photographs produced by the petitioner.” He added that it is disappointing that the court believed the MMRC and further alleged that it is shameful that a government body lied to the court.

While Zoru Bhathena, activist and also a petitioner claimed that the MMRCL and the state government have outrightly lied saying they have not cut any trees in the Aarey depot plot. “We have produced all photos and videos to show the blatanttree cutting. One lie after the other.That has been MMRCL's way, since so many years,” he alleged.

The Aarey tree cutting petition was heard on Friday in Supreme Court. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured that no trees have been cut since 2019 for the construction of a metro car shed in the Aarey forest area in Mumbai and no trees will be cut in the area till the next date of hearing.