Shraddha Kapoor lauds govt's order declaring 600 acres of Aarey as 'reserved forest'

Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor has been one of the avid supporters of the save Aarey forest movement. Time and again, the actress has lent her support to the movement on social media as well as marked her attendance in the protests to push the envelope for an environmental cause. Recently, the actress welcomed the Maharashtra government orders on September 3 to reserve 600-acre Aarey land near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in suburban Mumbai as a forest and conserve the same.

Shraddha Kapoor hails decision declaring Aarey as forest

The actress hailed the decision and shared the post by the Instagram page of Aarey Forest that thanked the Maharashtra government for initiating a step towards the protection of the last green lungs of Mumbai. It has recently been declared that 600 acres of Aarey Forest to be reserved forest out of 3000 (1280 ha). Delighted, she is happy that she has finally received results for what she stood for.

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Last year, the Saaho actress had also joined protestors rallying to save 2700+ trees, which are in danger of being chopped down in Mumbai's Aarey Colony region. The actress also had earlier shared the adorable yet thoughtful doodle on her social media and gave out the message of #SaveAarey. Shraddha backing the cause is certain to lend massive weight to the issue and today, the news carried immense happiness with it for all those who supported the cause.

The decision to categorize the portion of land was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who said that the forest would be the first example of a 'huge jungle' being conserved at the center of a megapolis, according to an official statement. Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray, Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod, Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar, and other officials were present for the meeting.

The Chief Minister instructed the officials to safeguard the rights of adivasis (tribals) while the area is reserved as forest, during the meeting. He said the area to be excluded from the forest will be ascertained after seeking suggestions and objections from citizens. Constructions of all types of roads, slums, adivasi pockets, and government facilities will be excluded from the first phase of the initiative, the statement said. The slums within the area will be rehabilitated immediately, the statement added.

Read: Shraddha Kapoor Wishes Her 'precious Baapu' Shakti Kapoor On His Birthday; See Post

Read: Maharashtra Govt Reserves 600 Acres Of Mumbai's Aarey Land As Forest; 'first In Any Metro'

(Image credit: Shraddha Kapoor/ Instagram)