Mumbai: The Catholic church has asked its members to support residents of Dongri and other villages in Bhayandar East in the rally planned on Sunday morning against the proposed cutting of over 10,000 trees for the Metro Line 9 car shed project. The police issued prohibitory orders on Friday against public gatherings in the area till Monday.
Zonal bishop Allwyn D'silva wrote to priests across Mumbai, asking them to encourage church members to join the rally on the morning of July 6. We people of Bhayandar East and West stand together along with Dongri residents, as they along with nature lovers try to organise chain rallies from Bhayandar to Uttan-Palli chowk, D'Silva said in a letter to churches in Mumbai.
Father Oscar Mendonca, parish priest of Our Lady of Bethlehem, Dongri, said it will be a silent protest, with black flags. "It is important to convey the message that the people are opposing the cutting of trees. We have to support this cause," said Mendonca.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority plans to build a stabling and maintenance depot for the 13.5 km Dahisar to Bhayandar Metro. This section will be an extension of the existing Line 7 between Andheri East and Dahisar East. In March 2025, following a public notice about the felling of trees, local residents had protested against the levelling of a forested hillock for the 12-hectares depot.
Residents of 10 villages in the area had organised a meeting on June 22 at Uttan to stop large scale cutting of trees at the site. They alleged that trees are still being cut. Residents who want the forest to be saved, said that the project should be shifted to a locality where the impact on the environment will be lower.
Lourdes D'Souza, a civic activist from the area said, "The hillock is covered in a beautiful forest. Already, we lost one hillock to a dumping ground used by the Mira-Bhayandar corporation," said D'Souza.
The protestors have demanded the cancellation of the proposal to cut trees in Dongri forest, identification and allocation of an alternative, vacant land for the project, and appointment of an independent ecological and environmental committee to assess the impact of such development projects.
They also want an assurance from the government to involve citizens and environmentalists in all future planning and implementation stages of such projects.
On Friday, the Uttan Sagari Police station issued notices warning local residents to stay away from the rally. The police have imposed section 37 (1) and (3) of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951, till July 7, prohibiting public announcements, speeches and gathering of five or more people.
