After months of protests from local tribals and environmentalists, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced on 11 October that the disputed metro car shed is being shifted from Aarey Colony to Mumbai’s Kanjurmarg.
Addressing a webcast, Chief Minister Thackeray said that the Metro car shed will now be shifted to Kanjurmarg, where ‘land will be available at zero rate’. Thackeray said that the building which has been constructed at Aare at a cost of 100 crores, will be used for some other work.
Uddhav Thackeray said The rights of tribals will not be violated again. The 600 acres previously declared as forest, has now been converted to 800 acres.
Uddhav Thackeray said, “There is a need to conserve and protect biodiversity in Aarey. There is no 800 acres of forest in the urban setup anywhere. Mumbai has a natural forest cover.”
In September, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray withdrew all the cases which were filed last year from the state home department. In Aarey, there was a strong protest against the cutting of a large number of trees for the metro project.
Regarding the decision on Uddhav Thackeray’s, his son and minister in Maharashtra government, Aditya Thackeray tweeted, “Aarey Saved!.”