The Honourable Chief Minster Shri Uddhav Thackeray has kept his poll promise and freed Aarey from the rampant concretization that would have been the direct fall out of the Metro car shed.
It may be recalled that AAP was the first political party which took up the issue, publicly identified with the cause and organized the first large protest which saw thousands attend and has been involved since 2014-2015. AAP has left no stone unturned to ensure the success of this people's movement.
From collaborating with green activists, liaising with Adivasi padas, successfully moving the Bombay HC which granted a stay for over a year and compelled the BMC to have another public hearing of the tree authority at a time when it appeared that all was lost, holding an 'Aarey Satyagraha' to using smart tech to automating the objection filing process of the BMC which the highest ever no of objections(in lakhs), the AAP cadre has literally done it all.
During the last Assembly Elections the AAP made the #SaveAarey movement a poll issue. The party leadership met leaders of all major political parties in Mumbai and got their commitment to support the removal of the car shed. While the Shivsena did not meet the activists, they were forced to commit on saving the green lung and we are grateful that today the MVA government has fulfilled its promise.
"Mumbaikars were united in their opposition to the encroachment of Aarey and their united movement has given hope that citizens can literally make governments change their plans. This gives us immense hope and AAP will continue to fight to maintain the precarious ecological balance that makes Mumbai inhabitable." said Preeti Sharma Menon
The most important aspect in this change is that it proves beyond doubt that viable alternate sites were always available and the only thing that drove the Devendra Fadnavis Government to use Aarey Forest was its greed for real estate and it's blatant disregard for the well-being of Mumbaikars.
The AAP hopes that there are no more encroachment into Aarey, neither through slums nor ill conceived projects like zoos. We will remain ever vigilant and never allow development to take place at the cost of a safe environment.
