Fresh protest began at the proposed Metro car shed site in Aarey colony on Sunday when several environmental activists gathered to protest against the construction of the Metro-3 car shed. The work is currently being untaken by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited, after getting a go-ahead from the state government.
According to the Aarey police, around 30 to 35 people gathered since morning for the protest. “They come here every Sunday. As long as it’s peaceful, we (police) don’t get involved and they are usually protesting silently without causing any ruckus,” said a duty officer at Aarey, from Aarey police station.
Reportedly, the protestors carried banners that said ‘Save Aarey Forest’ while raising several slogans on the need to fight against handing over the area to builders. The people protesting against the construction of the car shed say that Aarey is a forest comprising wildlife and tribals.
Additionally, since the Aarey forest land is adjoining Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the citizens and activities protested against the cutting of the trees at Aarey, for construction purposes.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde recently made it clear that the government stands by its decision to continue the car shed work at the Aarey Milk Colony, and further announced that the Colaba-Seepz line would be operational by December 2023. Metro line 3 will be a 33.5 km underground route that will connect Colaba in south Mumbai with the western suburbs.
