Mumbai: In what is a clear case of Enron history of 1995 being revisited with those in opposition (Bharatiya Janata Party) opposing it, only to revive it after coming to power, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) appears to be repaying the BJP in the same coin. In the 1995 Assembly elections it was the Enron saga and now as the 2019 assembly elections draw closer it is the decision to cut 24,472 trees to make way for Metro 3 Car Shed at Aarey Milk Colony that the NCP hopes will help it to regain its toe-hold in Mumbai at least.
After visiting the Metro 3 car shed at Aarey Milk Colony on Sunday, NCP Lok Sabha MP from Baramati Supriya Sule tweeted her opposition to cutting of trees to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. She tweeted “Aarey forests are the lungs of Mumbai and provide the city the pure air we breathe. I strongly oppose the cutting down of trees here. We have to save the Green patches in Mumbai for our future generations. Requesting @CMOMaharashtra to think of alternatives rather than cutting the trees in the name of development”.
Her remarks come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones on September 7, for three more Metro Lines in Mumbai and surrounding Metropolitan Region and the Metro Bhavan. On Saturday, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stones for the Metro 10 line between Gaimukh (Thane Ghodbunder) to Shivaji Chowk (Mira Road), Metro 11 line between Wadala to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj terminus and Metro 12 line between Kalyan to Taloja (Raigad district). Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande voiced strong protest over the foundation stone plaque not being in Marathi.
But a day earlier, on September 6, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) managing director Ashwini Bhide and MumbaiMetro 3, in a series of tweets pointed out that the permission to cut some trees and transplant some was given way back in 2013. It was the time when the Congress-NCP led government was in power in the state. The MMRC and Bhide pointed out that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Tree Authority to cut 24,472 trees between 2013 to 2017, 10,074 trees were to be cut and 14,398 trees were to be transplanted. “Has anyone heard any noise against it? Why now? Why so much?”
In another tweet Bhide said “there are total of 3,691 trees in Metro 3 depot land. We will retain 1,045 trees. As per tree authority approval 461 trees to be transplanted and 2,185 trees to be cut and 6 times more trees means 13,110 trees to be newly planted”. In an another tweet, she added that 17 percent of the total land for Metro 3 car depot has trees, the rest is under grass cover.
Responding to the oft repeated allegations and contentions through its counter hash tags #JaanoPhirMaano and #AareyAikaNa, regarding exploration of alternate sites, the MMRCL in its rebuttal tweeted “location of the depot site has been studied in detail. At the Detailed Project Report (DPR) stage in 2011 – 4 sites – Mahalaxmi Race Course, MMRC Ground in Bandra-Kurla Complex. Kalina University and Aarey Milk Colony. It must be noted here that the DPR was made in 2011 when the Congress-NCP led government was in power.
Again while responding to the charge that the original site for Metro 3 car shed was identified in Backbay Reclamation in Development Plan (DP) of 1990, the MMRCL pointed out that the plan was not pursued then as it involved large scale land reclamation spread over 3 to 5 years which could have further delayed the project. It added that another reason for the site not being pursued was implications to environmental and marine eco-system. The DP for the project was made 29 years ago when the Congress government was in power.
