Netizens Recall How PM Modi Told Bear Grylls He Cares About Forests But Now He Remains Silent On Aarey
Protests erupted on Friday at Mumbais Aarey forest area after the Bombay High Court dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2500 trees to make way for a metro car shed. The Bombay HCs decision had cleared the way for authorities to build a parking shed for Line 3 of a broader train network that aims to reduce traffic congestion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been quite vocal worldwide on how much he and his government cares for the environment. PM Narendra Modi's initiatives on environment protection are in place but when the actual need for it arises, everyone in the ruling dispensation seems to go mum on the issue.
Protests erupted on Friday at Mumbai's Aarey forest area after the Bombay High Court dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2,500 trees to make way for a metro car shed in the area- a green strip that lies at the heart of the bustling Mumbai city.
Netizens across social media vented their frustration on the silence of PM Modi on the Aarey forests.
Taking to Twitter, one user wrote, "Remember when Modi said that he cares abt animal conservation, forests & environmental change on the Bear Grylls's show and Bhakts & Media went wild? Well right now in Mumbai, the #AareyForest are slowly getting destroyed by the BJP ruled Govt. The forest loving PM is silent."
Remember when Modi said that he cares abt animal conservation, forests & environmental change on the Bear Grylls's show and Bhakts & Media went wild?
¡ª Advaid (@Advaidism) October 5, 2019
Well right now in Mumbai, the #AareyForest are slowly getting destroyed by the BJP ruled Govt.
The forest loving PM is silent. pic.twitter.com/qYaA2LWBj0
The Bombay HC's decision had cleared the way for authorities to build a parking shed for Line 3 of a broader train network that aims to reduce traffic congestion in one of the world's most densely populated cities.
Ashwini Bhide, the Managing Director of the MMRCL, accused the protesters of trying to bypass the law.
"If you lose a battle in court, better to accept it honourably than to take it to street," Bhide said in a tweet.
The MMRCL has said in the past that there is no other viable location for the shed, and authorities have stressed that Line 3, slated to open in December 2021, will do more to reduce pollution in Mumbai than the cluster of trees.
Yash Marwah, a member of the Aarey Conservation Group, an informal citizen's collective that has been at the forefront of protests, said those opposed to the felling of trees were considering other legal options.
Environmentalists, politicians, Bollywood stars and business leaders have opposed the felling of trees in one of the city's last green spaces, saying destroying green cover could exacerbate pollution.
