Mumbai environmentalists pay tribute to trees cut in Aarey colony

On Sunday, several environmentalists gathered around the Aarey colony in Mumbai to pay tributes to the trees cut by authorities earlier in order to build a metro car shed for the Mumbai Metro. After the Bombay High Court dismissed pleas against the axing of the trees and upheld the permission granted to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to axe trees, the tree authority had cut around 2000 trees earlier this month. The environmentalists gathered and lighted candles at the spot where these trees were cut. After heavy protests broke out against the felling of trees, the Supreme Court, on October 7, had ordered the Maharashtra government not to axe any more trees in Mumbai's Aarey colony and maintain status quo till further orders.

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BMC cuts over 2,000 trees

In order to construct a metro car shed for the Mumbai Metro project, on October 4 and 5, the metro corporation had axed over 2,185 trees in the area. Heavy protests had broken out after the Bombay High Court had dismissed all the petitions challenging the felling of trees. The massive protests in the Aarey Colony of Mumbai had led to arrests of several activists and imposition of section 144 in the area. The activists sent to judicial custody were released on bail, following the Supreme Court's orders.

READ | Maharashtra: Local Adivasis Pay Tribute To Fallen Trees Of Aarey

Bollywood’s outrage over the Aarey Colony issue

Bollywood celebrities did not hold back when it came to the overnight cutting of the trees in the Aarey Colony. Actress Pooja Bhatt and Nimrat Kaur chose to directly attack the cutting down of trees by calling it inhumane. Nimrat Kaur made use of sarcasm to share her dismay regarding the issue. Actor Sidharth Malhotra tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis regarding the issue in his tweet. He stated that the cutting down of trees in the colony will lead to an ecological imbalance. Actors Dia Mirza, Farhan Akhtar and Richa Chadha also expressed their anger over the felling of the trees. 

READ | Aarey Colony: Supreme Court Stops Authorities From Cutting Trees

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