Constructing Car Shed For Metro: PIL In Bombay HC Against BMC Notice For Removal Of 177 Trees In Aarey Colony

A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Bombay High Court on Friday against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's notice seeking suggestions and objections for the removal of 177 trees at Aarey Colony for the construction of a car shed for Metro Line 3.

The civic body had issued a notice on January 12, following an application filed by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) seeking permission to remove 84 trees for the car shed project.

In the PIL, activist Zoru Bathena claimed that the notice was in violation of the Supreme Court order of November 2022, which only allowed for the removal of 84 trees.

"The notice dated January 12, 2023, issued by the tree authority is for removal of 177 trees, having a different set of tree ID numbers in comparison to the MMRCL's application, which was only for 84 trees," the petition stated.

The notice was issued without application of mind and hence, deserves to be quashed and set aside, it said.

The metro car shed project at Aarey Colony in suburban Goregaon has been embroiled in controversy since 2014, with environmentalists holding protests against the indiscriminate felling of trees in the area which they claim is a forest area.

After coming to power, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government had in 2019 said the car shed would be constructed at suburban Kanjurmarg and not Aarey Colony.

In June 2022, the Eknath Shinde led state government reversed the decision and said the car shed will be constructed in Aarey Colony only. 

With PTI Inputs