The 'Save Aarey' supporters, comprising elderly people, youngsters and children, on Sunday gathered in good numbers to protest the proposed underground Metro-3 depot at the site.
The protest was held after Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made it clear that Aarey is the only suitable site for the construction of the car shed so as to prevent further delay in the metro project operation.
Holding placards of 'Save Aarey forest', the protesters raised slogans against the Metro 3 depot. A few came out with placards with messages, 'plant a tree, plant a tree, so that next generation can get air for free'.
Inspired by BJP's Hanuman chalisa, the members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) recited the prayer. AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon said, "The Vaanar Sena (monkey army of Hanuman) loves and protects their forests, so we are also praying to Lord Hanuman to save the forest. Through our prayer, we want Fadnavis to realise how important the trees are for Aarey. He should take out the depot from Aarey as suggested by the experts."
Ruben Mascarenhas, the working president of AAP, said, "We will fight. Truth is on our side. God is on our side. We want the metro and we want to save the Aarey forest. It is possible."
Environmentalists Zoru Bhathena and D Stalin also took part in the protest. Stalin said, citizens themselves have come forward to press their voice against the car shed.
"Mumbaikars are genuinely angry and disappointed with the new government's decision to bring back the depot here. Besides all this protest, we will also fight in court to get the depot out of Aarey," he asserted.
Meanwhile, a netizen, Kevin Dsouza, in a tweet alleged that the people who are protesting against the car shed in Aarey do not represent the entire Mumbaikars.
They have vested interests, he said. He further said that Aarey is not a forest. Elites should not oppose anything and everything that's being done for the good of the common man, he added with a tag CarShed Wahi Banega.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone XII) Somnath Gharge said that the protesters had taken prior permission from the police and abide by all the conditions laid down in it.
"We'd pressed a total of 15 officers and 125 constables into service to enforce bandobast at the protest venue. No untoward incidents were recorded and the protest went off peacefully," Gharge said.
