Devendra Fadnavis cautions Aaditya Thackeray against ‘handful’ opposing Aarey colony metro shed
Earlier on Tuesday, Aaditya lent his support to those opposing the cutting down of trees at Aarey colony for building a metro car shed.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Sunday, questioned the ongoing protest against proposed metro shed at Aarey colony in Mumbai, cautioning Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray about the motives of “a handful of people” raising objections.
Fadnavis said, “Of the 13,000 objections registered till now, 10,000 were put up on a Bengaluru-based website.”
“Aaditya Thackeray’s concern about the environment is a good thing, but he should understand what is going on in the minds of some handfuls of people who are opposing the metro shed,” said Fadnavis.
Earlier on Tuesday, Aaditya lent his support to those opposing the cutting down of trees at Aarey colony for building a metro car shed. “We are not opposed to the metro, but we are opposed to having the depot at Aarey,” the Yuva Sena chief said, as Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited said it plans to cut at least 2,600 trees for the car shed at Aarey, known to be a sprawling green belt in Mumbai.
On the issue of Aarey being a forest land, the chief minister said, “The Supreme Court has already clarified that the land does not come under forest or bio-diversity and the permission for a metro car shed can be granted.”
“The state government, by adhering to orders passed by the apex court, is working on the project,” said Fadnavis adding the Metro III project is being funded by Japan International Co-operation Agency(JICA).
“And when Japan International Co-operation Agency funds any project, they keep its sustainability in mind. Japan conducted a study on the project for one year and after that decided to fund the project,” said Fadnavis.
The chief minister said the government planned to plant more trees than those being felled.
“The metro will also reduce the carbon footprint,” said Fadnavis, adding that we need to understand how much of a carbon footprint will be reduced due to the underground metro work.
Meanwhile, the chief minister also stressed that during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) regime, Maharashtra received maximum investment as compared to other states in the country.
