The fight for Mumbai’s forest cover at Aarey colony is reminiscent of the crusade Goans have been launching for their land from time to time, be it the Mopa tree cutting or the recent coastal plan.
The Supreme Court order restraining authorities from cutting any more trees in Mumbai’s Aarey colony for a Metro car shed comes as a moral victory to protesting environmentalists. But sadly, it comes after tress have been cut and damage already done. The admission by the Maharashtra government that whatever was required to be cut has already been done tells a story of ruthlessness with which authorities went about their job.
The Bombay High Court’s refusal to declare Aarey colony a forest was not a green signal to cut the trees, but it gave enough indications to authorities of what was coming. And which is why the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation took to the fast lane and began cutting of trees on Friday night itself.
While trees have been cut overnight, questions will now be raised why the government failed to notify this vast green cover as forest despite the historical background attached to it. The focus of the case now shifts to whether the area is classified as “no development zone” or “an eco-sensitive zone” and the ball will be once again in the government’s court. The onus will be again on the authorities to place on record relevant documents and the sampling of trees. The letter petition states that Aarey forest area has around five lakh trees.
The lapse of the Maharashtra government is showing since it has failed to notify this land as forest despite an earlier direction from the Supreme Court. It also highlights that the government has been insensitive towards the environment even as the metro city is losing its green sheen every passing year. The Aarey forest area is now reduced to 1,300 acres from the original 3,000 acres.
This land issue is a classic tussle between those fighting for Mumbai’s fast-dwindling greenery on one side and those rooting for development in a gridlocked commercial metro on the other. The story runs parallel to Goa’s fight for its environment. Environmentalists in the State have been fighting a prolonged battle in Supreme Court over what they have termed as flawed Environment Impact Assessment report and have challenged the cutting down of thousands of trees.
Mumbai’s new generation of environmentalists have braved all odds to fight for their forest, an area known to be the largest, oldest and greenest part of the commercial capital. And this fight for environment has brought together a plethora of individuals including professionals, students, tribals, housewives and the common man. The collective energy that was on display was amazing.
The message goes out loud and clear that the people are not going to succumb meekly to the dominant view and accept models of development at the cost of its green cover. Government’s hypocrisy is exposed because, on one hand, India speaks strongly about climate change and global warming and the need to go green at global summits, while on the other side allows rampant cutting of trees under the pretext of development back home.
