The Bombay High Court today refused to stay cutting of trees in Mumbai’s prominent green lung, Aarey Colony, to make way for a metro car shed. A few green activists moved a fresh application, seeking stay on the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited, MMRCL’s action of chopping 2,656 trees in the area.
Yesterday, the Court had dismissed four petitions filed by NGOs and activists challenging the decision of Tree Authority of the Mumbai civic body allowing felling of trees.
The action of MMRCL, which began cutting trees late last night, has met up with stiff resistance from green activists who have been protesting at the Aarey Colony.
The activists, in their application, today sought stay on the MMRCL action for a week so that they could approach the Supreme Court against the High Court’s order.
The application was taken up for urgent hearing by Justices S C Dharmadhikari and A K Menon. After brief arguments, the bench refused to grant the stay and disposed of their application.
The Mumbai police have arrested 29 people protesting against the felling of trees in the green zone area for a metro card shed at Aarey colony. The police have also beefed up security in the vicinity where around 100 to 200 protestors got into a scuffle with police officials.
The Bombay High Court which had yesterday dismissed petitions filed by NGOs and environmental activists on issues related to Aarey refused to grant stay on felling of trees at Aarey Colony, considered as the green lung of the financial capital.
AIR correspondent reports, a few green activists who are protesting against felling of trees at Aarey colony received no respite from the Bombay High Court today as well after they filed a fresh application seeking a stay on the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited’s action of chopping 2656 trees in the area.
Launching a crackdown against the protesters, the police forcefully evacuated the activists from the Aarey check post and took them to the Goregaon police station. As many as 29 protesters have been arrested and they have been booked under relevant sections of the CrPC.
The Police have also imposed section 144 in Aarey Colony and surrounding areas banning unlawful assembly. Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray who has been vocal against felling of trees in Aarey condemned the arrest of protesters and sought to know who authorized such actions when the model code of conduct is in force for the October 21 polls in Maharashtra.
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